Demon
by mchmstr39
Summary: In the waning years of the Forerunners, one of their most gifted warriors struggles against an enemy that shows no mercy and knows nothing but death. Fighting for those he loves, he is faced with the hardest decision that has ever been made.
1. Activation

Author's Foreword

This story is based off of the information from the terminals in Halo 3 as well as the story that was presented in the IRIS game over the summer. If anyone is intimate with those two sources, they'll know that the information given, while very informative and interesting for any fan of the Halo story, is very sparse and must be fleshed out. It's also all presented in the form of communications which give us an insight into the way the different participants conduct themselves and their views of the situation, but it doesn't give us any context about who they are in the scheme of everything. Because of all these problems, I'm forced to take a lot of liberties with what happens as I either have to create entire encounters from scratch or figure out the order of things and how all of it came together. Many of the names of the characters seem to be more of titles than true names, at least for the Forerunners themselves. Take, for example, Didact whose name means "Teacher." To me, that is obviously a title but because there is no other name attached to it, that is all I know him as so I've decided to make that his name, regardless of the meanings behind it. Something else to keep in mind is that the war lasted a thousand years, but that's impractical for the purposes of characters and keeping it interesting, so the time will be shortened to a few years.

We also have very little information about the Forerunners themselves other than their architecture which is obviously very geometric and, honestly, harsh looking. Based off of the game we've learned that the Humans and the Forerunners at the very least had contact between them and some dialog suggested that humanity is itself descended from the Forerunners or specific lines have Forerunner blood, such as John-117's constant reference to as the Reclaimer. I've decided that, in light of this and the fact that it's a much easier way to identify with the Forerunners, they will be essentially human in their look and mannerisms. Physically, I've decided that they will all be somewhere around a Spartan-II's height and physique, with others surpassing that. You may also notice similarities between certain characters in the story and those in the game. Not all of them are intended, but some are and they'll be a little more obvious as it ties into the entire story that I have in mind. I've also decided that the Forerunners aren't all perfectly good and they all have flaws in them and those flaws will make an appearance throughout the story in one way or another.

I hope all of you enjoy this story as this is something I've wanted to do for a while now and seeing as we've got a lot more information about the Forerunner-Flood war and the subsequent activation of the Halos. I've wanted to tell this story for a long time now and I've finally had the time to write what it is that I've had in my mind. So here it is where it begins and ends…

Chapter 0: Activation

"I am your lover...and your executioner. Here now I found myself surrounded by hell, and yet heaven is in my heart. Such a way to end all of this..." Silence filled the enormous Citadel as the small platform Didact stood on floated into the air effortlessly, the seven rings in front of him lighting up one by one as their corresponding Arrays fired. His armored hand, the silver metal caked in blood and burned from the battles before this single moment, was still resting on the now yellow holographic touch pad pulsing as if nothing was wrong with what had happened. He thought of his wife on her beautiful world watching and waiting for her death as her creations remained protected, the portal sealed and the Key Ship destroyed. There was nothing left to think or say, and it slowly hit Didact in the chest as he realized that he was the only creature left breathing and tears began to stream down his cheeks, pooling up at the bottom of his helmet. Lifting up his hands he took the blue visored helmet off and dropped it on the ground without regard for it's safety, rubbing his hands through his buzzed brown hair. The cool air from outside filled his lungs with each breath and each time he tried to take it in as much as possible. Gently wrapping his fingers around the cold metal of his pistol grip, he pulled it away from his thigh and lifted it up to his right temple. Pressing the split barrel against his skin, the arc of energy between the two sides instantly warmed the area and he took a finale breath before pulling the trigger. The single shot rang out throughout the vaulted chamber, followed by the clacking of metal on glass as the pistol fell to the ground. Didact's body remained standing for a second or two as his armor kept his body stiff, finally giving in as he tipped forward and over the edge of the platform and fell towards the abyss below.


	2. Containment Protocols

Chapter 1: Containment Protocols

All of the soldiers were silent as the hologram in front of them warmed up, bathing the previously dark room in a blue light. All of them were completely armored in their dark silver combat suits except for their helmets tucked under their arms. Standing well over seven feet tall, the Demons were the most gifted soldiers in the Forerunner military, charged with commanding fleets and thousands of soldiers in battles while they themselves fought. With an integrated AI, they were able to achieve this as a basic command was given to the AI who would then give out specific orders to each of the commanders to ensure the initial order was followed through.

Leaning forward on the enormous holographic table, Didact waited as a grainy video appeared in the air, illuminating the deepest recesses of the war room's vaulted ceilings and small nooks and crannies of the floor to ceiling buttresses.

"Play video." One of the Demons said, watching as the video began to play. Viewed from a helmet camera, Forerunner soldiers were moving through a dark hallway as flashlights flicked back and forth on the walls, the only sound being the armored footsteps of the soldiers who were bounding forward. The squad leader lifted up his gauntlet and held his fingers straight, stopping the group as some took a knee and observed their surroundings, their blue visors glowing faintly from the lights on their armor and the soft glow from their rifles. Echoing softly through the hall was a sort of gurgling sound followed by a series of what sounded like jumbled words. The soldiers' heads whipped back and forth as they tried to find the source of the noise. Motioning them forward, the squad leader continued through the hallway. For a second, the camera looked away from the front of the squad and towards a wall where a series of symbols were hovering in front of a door that was glowing red around the edges. "Parasitic Outbreak: Containment Protocols Enacted" it read, and judging by the architecture of the door and the walls, Didact was sure the building they were in was a science facility.

"_Motion tracker ping, multiple targets fifty meters out, moving fast." _The voice was metallic and tinny sound from poor receiver on the camera. Again the sound distorted sounds echoed through the hallway except this time they were much closer and there sounded like there were many more than before. All of the sudden, plasma shots began to ring out as all of the flash lights swung forward on a shape that appeared for only a few seconds before falling to the ground in a smoking pile of flesh and bone. Stepping forward, one of the squad members took a knee and examined it as the other members surrounded him with their rifles at the ready. "_I've never seen anything like this before. It's one of us...just...not._" Shaking his head, he stood up and put both hands onto his rifle just as more of the creatures rushed them. The entire hallway was illuminated like a strobe light as rifles pulsed and the superheated bolts tore through the flesh of the creatures. Moving towards the front, the camera showed a horrifying sight. In front of them was a solid wall of grotesque flesh bodies who pushed ever closer; intermingled were small bulbous things that sped around on small tentacles on the bottom of the sack. Jumping forward, they latched onto one of the soldiers whose shield flared blue and burst the creature. More and more of them surged forward as the larger monsters, tall bipeds who were still wearing their lab coats and clothing, lunged at the soldiers with flailing tentacles and shattered arms that flopped around lazily. One of the squad members lost his shield and frantically kicked and smacked at the bulbs as they swarmed around him, but they quickly overran him and he fell to the ground screaming as the penetrated his flesh and inserted themselves into him. Almost instantly his body began to change as infection form took over control of his spinal cord and began to change his DNA. Sacks of pus grew underneath his armor as it burst open and fell to the ground, his black under suit tear as tentacles and bones tore through, blood and even more pus pouring out of the exposed wounds. One of the soldiers fired for a few seconds at his comrade, severing his torso from his legs yet he still screamed out as the infection form vainly attempted to reconnect to the two halves. Unsuccessful, his body stopped stopped moving and the small bulb slid out from between his intestines and began to find a new host.

One by one the soldiers fell as they were pummeled and infected by the creatures until only the camera man was still standing, running away from wall of death. He didn't get far before something broke his back and he fell to the ground paralyzed. The video cut out after that. None of the Demons said anything, unsure of what they had just seen. Didact tried to control his breathing and his heart.

"That squad was sent to investigate the loss of contact at the Sera Research Lab thirty-eight hours ago, we received the video less than an hour ago and have been unable to reestablish contact with any of the ships there since then. Command has put forth a plan to destroy the biosphere to ensure the parasite there cannot spread." The Demon who was speaking had his hair cut short like the rest, his face scarred and burned from countless wars and battles. "Unfortunately, it seems the scientists have the ear of the royal family at the moment as they have convinced them to refrain from destroying the planet and allowing a full scale research team and security compliment. It's not my place to question royalty though, and neither is it yours," he said, indicating the rest of the Demons who could point out a million flaws with the plan without breaking a sweat. "I'll be calling a follow meeting in a few hours, I'll have a more specific time later. Dismissed." Didact turned around but heard his name called out. "I' like to speak with you for a moment."

"Yes sir," he responded and stayed. Nothing was said as they waited for the war room to empty out and the lights to come back up.

"I wish I didn't have to ask you this but I cannot ignore this opportunity. Your relationship with Librarian Tyro puts you in an advantageous position to voice our concerns directly to the royal family. If you could please put forth an objection to this research mission, we could prevent a more serious outbreak, because as it is this parasite is limited to a research facility on an otherwise barren planet. They have no way of getting off of the planet because no Slipspace capable ship is present, if they can get a hold of even one ship, our reactions will become increasingly drastic and devastating."

"Commander Absolve, my wife may be royalty, but I cannot expect her to change the opinion of the council. You over estimate her position within the family." Didact was in no mood to be using his wife as a political tool, but Absolve was correct in his thinking that his position could at the very least plant the seeds of disagreement from the military. "But I will see what I can do."

"Thank you."

* * *

The sun was low on the horizon as night began to fall over the city-planet Shi-Kai, the Forerunner home world. Enormous skyscrapers towered into the heavens, their windows beginning to light up against the purple sky. Standing on a large patio, Didact's home had a perfect view of the surrounding areas, their building the tallest for as far as they could see. All of this had come from the royal family of course, had he not married Tyro, he would most likely find himself at home on his ship. In the background their television played softly detailing the day's news, none of which seemed to important to Didact at the moment.

"I can't just tell the council that they're wrong and that they should completely reverse their opinion on the matter." His wife stood in the doorway to the patio, leaning up against the glass the door frame. She had dark blond hair with streaks of brown that was tied tight in a braid that extended a few inches past her shoulders. Her blue eyes stood out against her tanned skin and her pink lips were in an almost permanent smile that was barely visible. Tyro was considered small for Forerunners, standing only around six feet tall, relegating her to a more peaceful field of work where she excelled as one of the few Librarians within their culture, her specialty being terraforming and creating new species. Still in her research uniform, a tight gray long sleeve jacket and matching pants with small details stitched into the fabric as well as a small plate embedded on her left breast with her name.

"I'm not asking you to do that Tyro, but I don't think they understand the severity of the plan they're proceeding with. All this parasite needs is one ship with Slipspace capabilities and it can spread far and wide. The risk of sending in this research team outweighs the benefits that we could get from the parasite." Didact stood a pair of long black silk pants and a gray t-shirt, unable to understand how Tyro could support their wish to study and take samples of the creature.

"I spoke with my brother earlier today when I heard the news, the entire battle group will be put on alert on the edge of the system. Anything goes wrong and the AIs will be given override commands to destroy the planet regardless of the captains' orders. Besides, they won't let me go anyways so there's no danger of me getting stuck down there." Smiling a little, Tyro stepped forward and took Didact's hands in hers. "Even if something goes wrong, you and the other Demons will be more than capable of stopping this before it gets out of hand."


	3. Arrival

Chapter 2: Arrival

"This meeting has been called in order to discuss the Sera Research Facility incident and the proposal to send a research team to learn more about this parasite." The enormous circular hall was dimly lit, only small lights mounted onto the enormous beams that rose up from the ground and came together to from a small cylinder over their heads that extended hundreds of feet up into the air. There were two distinct sections for the seating, the first part took up a third of the room and was where thirty of the royal family members sat, peaking at the top where the council chairman sat. Their entire seating complex was ornately decorated and small and colorful holograms hovered in front of the small humps in front of each member. In contrast, the other two-thirds of the seating was relatively plain with the entire seating area rising up along the walls without any sort of denotation of position or rank within those who sat in that area. Every seat had a small holographic screen in front of it, bathing whoever sat there in soft blue light. Standing up at his seat, the chairman was an older man who had lost all of his hair except for a long white beard that extended to the middle of his chest. His face was wrinkled and scarred with liver spots on his forehead and upper cheeks framing his gray eyes, his eyelids almost always half closed. Despite his age, the man's voice was strong and forceful, with only a hint of his years adding a slight wisp to his words and an occasional wheeze. "To ensure we are all on the same page, I would like one of the officers present inform the council as to the events leading up to now as well as the current situation." Extending his right hand, he sat down slowly and faded back into the shadows, only the tips of his face illuminated by the light from his console. Almost immediately a military man stood up and introduced himself as small silver drones flew towards him to amplify his voice and provide video to those that wished to see it.

"Thank you Chairman Hoyt. As most of you are aware, we lost contact with Sera Research Facility on this planet, LV.19.K, approximately fifty hours ago. A SAR team was dispatched to the facility but was confronted by a hostile force." As the officer was speaking, a hologram of the planet materialized in the center of the hall. It was an unremarkable planet covered mainly in rock, some forests, and a few large oceans, the atmosphere barely habitable. "This is a recording of the events that took place when the recon team was dispatched." Didact averted his eyes to the screen in front of him as the same haunting footsteps filled the chambers.

"They want a Demon to lead the security teams, want to make the military feel as if we're part of all of this." Absolve leaned over slightly in his armor and spoke to Didact quietly, staring straight ahead at the councilmen and the video.

"Seems like a serious mis-allocation of resources. We command millions, not a couple thousand. If they wanted us involved, they'd send an entire fleet and turn the planet into a ball of dust, or, better yet, push it into the star. Melt the entire thing away." Absolve's comments about their involvement was insulting and he had a hard time keeping his voice below a whisper. It was an unwritten rule that conversations could continue on during a presentation, and in fact happened almost constantly, as long as it didn't disrupt the speaker. A rookie would easily get flustered as it appeared no one was listening but would be quickly broadsided when someone asked about a specific detail even he was unsure about. Very few people mastered the art of speaking before the council.

"Don't worry too much about it though, you're not going. I'm not going to sugarcoat this, but there are definitely some of us who are...less valuable then others. We've got a short list of who will be put in charge of security because if this goes wrong, we can't have our best leaders haunted by this whole mess." Didact nodded in silent agreement, wiping at his nose with his armored gloves.

"Have we gotten a preliminary thesis on this parasite?" one of the councilors spoke, his symbol glowing brighter than the others before fading back. Off to their right, a scientist stood up wearing the same outfit as Tyro had.

"As of right now, no. We're still going over the details to make sure we haven't missed anything. But, if I may speak freely," he waited a second before getting a nod to continue, "my gut reaction is that the parasite is changing the DNA of the host and is then proceeding to increase the reproduction of the cells in the body to a level that would kill someone within a few years of being born. This would explain how and why the infected body is so quickly changed into what we've encountered so far."

"Would this not be catastrophic if it was to reach a high population center? What would happen if any of these things manage to get into a city and infect people there?"

"We wouldn't let it. As long as everyone and everything is scanned for traces of the infection as well as keeping the planet under strict quarantine, the risk of outbreak is infinitesimally small." This quick exchange between the scientist and councilor ended just as fast as it had begun and the scientist took his seat as the hall fell silent again.

"I understand and have already heard the protests from people who feel that the risks that we are taking here are too great. That by sending people and equipment to this planet we are risking an outbreak of a virulent parasite. I agree with them. But I also recognize that despite the risks, there is potential for incredible discoveries. I'm sure we will lose people in the process, and in the end those who disagree with this course of action may be vindicated, but do we not risk outbreak every time we inject a dormant virus into our bodies to prevent infection later in life? How is this any different? We have the ability of destroying an entire planet with a moments notice, and if a catastrophic accident occurs, we will not hesitate to use our strength to defend our civilization." The chairman's voice echoed throughout the silent chamber as everyone listened intently to what he had to say. He leaned forward and continued to speak, his eyes darting back and forth between those present. "The Precursors left us The Mantle, an ideal that we still live by today. We have expanded into the heavens living as they taught, respecting life in it's natural form at every turn and assisting where it is appropriate. By destroying this parasite without proper research would violate all that we stand for. I understand not all of you are spiritual but I also appeal to the morals you yourself hold, not those taught or handed down." Didact quietly let out a breath as he heard this. While not devout like others in the military or in the royal family, he was a religious man at heart and always relied on the Precursor's ways to guide his actions and lead him in life and it was hard to argue with that approach considering what he had achieved. His initial reaction as a military man who was looking at the self-preservation of the species was in direct opposites with his beliefs.

"I really wish he hadn't said that." Absolve glanced over and nodded slightly. Neither one of them wanted to admit that they had been backed into a corner.

"If I'm not mistaken, a preliminary plan has already been written up and is ready to be presented to the council?" The chairman leaned back again and waited as a junior officer walked up to a small holographic orb and inserted a blue crystal into it. Pulsing yellow for a few seconds, the received settled on purple as the planet reappeared in the sky.

"As of this morning, we have the research teams arriving two days after the initial security groups. They will already be planet side and will have set up a camp approximately thirty miles away from the research facility. Enough transports will stay there to bring all researchers back in one trip as well as the security detail. In orbit, there will be three Challenger-class cruisers in geo-synch with the camp and in case of an outbreak, will immediately begin a planetary bombardment of the camp and will extend the area to the rest of the surface. Further out, another thirty Challenger-class cruisers will remain in backup in case of any unforeseen accidents." Didact couldn't believe what he was hearing and stood up to protest.

"Challengers aren't suitable for a full scale planetary bombardment. They have the capability, but they are specifically designed for ship to ship combat. You need to use Aggressors instead. It'll take only a few hours to sterilize the planet compared to a few days with the Challengers. If you don't you risk outbreak and potential infestation of a ship capable of leaving the planet or the system." Discussion erupted within the chambers as people set off on their own commentaries. For a few moments this went on without end before the chairman brought it to order.

"If you have something to say, you will do it according to the rules we have set out." Immediately a researcher jumped to his feet and began to speak.

"The expense of a fleet that size would be prohibitive! This is just a way for the overly cautious military to drive the costs up too high and shelve the mission."

"That is utterly ridiculous! I think I would know what it would take to safely destroy a planet when facing a threat like this. Challengers are not equipped for the task to contain a threat like this, especially if what we've seen in this video is any indication of how quickly it can spread. The Aggressors can do the job as it was meant to be done, and truth be told, I'd prefer an Aegis class, but we can't exactly send them around the galaxy to defend a research team." Didact was standing up but leaning forward on his knuckles, looking around the room for a challenger. No one took him up on his statements and the researcher slowly sat back down in his seat, trying his best to avoid looking defeated.

"The Demon's suggestions must be taken seriously, what we've seen suggests that any delay in destroying the planet could result in catastrophe. Any cost increases will be no problem and will be taken care of without issue. I expect an updated plan by the end of the day, and if that happens, I will hold an emergency meeting of the council and we will vote on it. This meeting is adjourned."

* * *

Captain Targas sat in his gravity chair, looking out of the enormous view port from his ship's bridge, the Wrath of Tor. Completely black, he watched and waited as the countdown ticked away to the end of their Slipspace jump. The bridge was almost completely silent, the officers all sitting at their screens, preparing for any sort of situation that awaited them around the planet. Targas fidgeted nervously, rolling a stylus between his fingers before straightening out the sleeves of his black uniform. The Wrath was scheduled to drop out of Slipspace first and would obviously take the brunt of the impact.

"Two minutes till we leave Slipspace," an officer reported quietly, only speaking above the soothing hum of the engines as they waxed and waned in intensity.

"Thank you, bring all personnel to full ready status. I want fighter engines hot and all Marines at rally points."

"Aye Captain," he replied. These orders were mostly redundant as they had been on stand-by for the past hour, but Targas didn't want to take any chances. At the very least, their logs would show they did everything right if they ended up getting attacked.

"Corona, I'm giving you command of the weapons systems and maneuvering. If anything is out there, and I mean anything, I want you to immediately begin evasive maneuvers and open fire on it with everything we've got. I don't want to take chances."

"Affirmative Captain," the cool female voice responded over hidden speakers within the bridge. Targas's AI was rather bland for his tastes, lacking the personality or quirkiness of some other ship AIs, but he could always count on her to come through in a tight spot. Lowering the lights in the bridge, the metallic area was bathed in an ethereal blue glow from the holographic panels around the sides of the edges of the ship, leaving a large space behind the command console for a holo-tank for communications or strategy. Right in front of Targas were the pilots of the ship, sitting slightly below the main level of the bridge, but having the best view out of the port.

"Thirty seconds. Winding down engines and preparing ship for Slipspace exit. Shields are at one hundred and fifty percent and all weapons are hot and scanning for targets." Targas watched the countdown as it ticked down into single digit numbers and then hit zero. Instantly light flooded the bridge as the unnamed star burned brightly behind the planet, a few seconds passed as the windows polarized and fixed the colors so that the star was nothing but a white sphere in the black sky. Targas prepared him self for the lurching of the ship as it dodged incoming fire or the low thumps of the cannons beginning to unload their salvos, but none of that came. Staring at the planet, he looked down at his panel and back up at the planet again.

"Are these coordinates correct?" he asked. A few seconds passed as people checked their numbers before responding.

"Aye sir, everything is what the fleet was given. Permission to ask why?" The officer to his right turned around in his seat and looked at the Captain.

"What I'm seeing here is not what the intel shows." What once was a colorful mix of blues, oranges, and greens, topped with white clouds had been replaced with green and yellow clouds that covered the entire planet. "What is going on down there?"


	4. Recon

Chapter 3: Recon

The blunt nosed dropship was still smoking as it plummeted through the atmosphere, the underside glowing red from the reentry. Two long wings slowly extended away from the narrow body, the hunched forward cockpit making the ship appear menacing from the front with the barrels of it's two cannons sticking up off of the silver hull. Catching the air, the ship regained control of itself and began to maneuver itself through the turbulent skies filled with spores and gases. Inside of the dropship, four armored soldiers sat in complete darkness, the only light coming from their blue visors and a few smaller lights all over their bodies. Shifting slightly, they remained silent as the hull creaked and moaned from the stresses.

"ETA one minute, get ready." The pilot's voice was tinny as it played through the compartment's speakers. They all stood up almost at once and moved towards the center of the ship, a small blue disc glowing faintly in the darkness. Feeling the ship decelerate and change it's angle of attack, they prepared to drop down as the disintegrated into a million tiny pieces and a gravity lift appeared. The ground was invisible in the blinding sunlight and it lit up the interior of the ship as dirt and other debris blew around below them. One of the four stepped forward and glided down towards the ground, his head swinging back and forth. The other soldiers followed behind and stepped into the dust storm around them, kneeling down as the dropship powered up it's engines and flew off, leaving an even larger cloud of dust behind. In a small circle, the four of them scanned their surroundings without uttering a word. Their armor was one of the most advanced sets in the Forerunner arsenal, incorporating camouflaging technology that allowed the skin of the armor to assume the color of the surroundings, and in conjunction with the angular armor pieces all over their body, they were almost completely invisible to the naked eye. Their helmets were the most notable aspects of the armor and were the most easily recognizable. Instead of using what amounted to a larger silhouette of the soldier's head, the recon team had their face framed by two pointed "bills" that came together above and below the now gold visor. Not visible by just looking at the armor was the skills each soldier brought with them. All of them were among the most elite soldiers in the Forerunner military, outclassing the rest in terms of shooting, speed, and every other skill group that they were measured in.

"Quadrant clear," they chimed in one at a time, speaking to each other through their team communications channel. The four soldiers were arranged in a tight circle, their long plasma rifles nestled into their shoulders as they scanned back and forth slowly.

"Let's move, I don't want to be down here longer than we have to." The squad leader was terse and the order was masked by his almost conversation like demeanor. All of them felt the same way, they had almost no information about the situation but they knew that at any moment they could be attacked by the parasite. Spreading out into a diamond formation, they began to walk slowly across the dying grass in the open field, only a few patches of green remaining.

"I'm bringing the transmission on, be on your best behavior, you're Specters." A few seconds passed in silence and then the leader spoke again. "This is Lieutenant Hall, commander of Specter Squad Echo. We are proceeding with survey of landing zone two."

"The visibility is horrible, switching to combi-view now," one of the soldiers stated. His voice was quieter and it almost sounded as if he was thinking out loud and hadn't meant for the rest of his time to hear him. On his display, though, he was able to see the outline of the surroundings as small radar bursts cut through the haze and drew contrasting lines on the land and large objects.

"Muron, check over there" Hall replied and pointed out to the squad's left. Nodding, he headed out towards a small grouping of trees that could be seen on his HUD, rifle at the ready while he crouched down a little. "Janus, other direction."

"Yes sir," he responded heavily, his deep voice losing some of it's bass from the microphones and speakers as he headed towards the right.

"Tauer, I want you to stay here. If anything happens, bring the transport back in and deploy cover."

"Affirmative, sir." Tauer swung his back pack off of his shoulders and removed a fist sized metallic cylinder, it's ends tapering as small strips of blue energy rippled from end to end. Hooking it to his leg, he took a knee and began to scan the surroundings for any sign of life.

"Trees are clear, looks like there's some of these pustules growing on them though. Looks like they may also be the source of this change in the atmosphere as one of them just sent out a huge puff of green gas and some of these little spores."

"I'm seeing the same thing on some rocks over here," Janus replied to Muron. "They're all over them. Lemme just...ugh...that's disgusting." He dropped off the radio for a second and then came back on with a grunt. "It looks like these things are alive cause some green blood or fluid came out after I popped one."

"Something just can't spontaneously come to life," Tauer chimed in.

"Well what about the spores? I'm sure they're the source of these things," Janus replied back.

"Even if they are, they need some sort of food to grow. I can see them working on the trees but rocks..." Hall finally interjected. The silence seemed to confirm their confusion on the subject. "But that's not what we're here for. Have you found anything that wouldn't make this a viable landing zone?"

"No sir," they replied one after another.

"Okay, unless there's anything else we need to look at, I think we're-"

"Shit, contacts on my motion tracker. Heading North, towards you Lieutenant," Janus called out excitedly, but still obviously in control of himself.

"Affirmative, bring it back in. You know what these things can do so don't get any ideas." Backpedaling, Hall found himself back by Tauer and took a knee as he scanned the surroundings while the rest of his squad formed up around him. "This is Echo squad, we're requesting immediate evac now. Possible parasitic contact reported."

"_Copy that Echo, transport inbound._"

"Saw something, four legs, moving pretty quickly." Muron shifted as he watched whatever it was move in front of him.

"If it comes within range, light it up, I'm not taking any chances." A few seconds later one of their rifles whined loudly as lances of blue plasma sliced through the air and flew into the gas around them, glowing eerily as it moved away from them. There was an alien and convoluted scream off to their right, near where Janus had been inspecting the rocks.

"I think I got it," Janus said, standing up and heading towards the spot where he had shot, rifle at the ready. The others followed him and the creature's form slowly came into view, sprawled on the ground. It's basic frame seemed unchanged from the parasite as it's bones and muscles seemed to still be in the same places, but there was still a noticeable change as the head was only hanging onto the rest of the body by a few strands of tendons and muscles as well as the spinal cord. In the chest cavity and the exposed neck, small tentacles protruded out from the fur covered skin, hanging limp in the blowing wind and flowing dirt. Their rifles were leveled on the creature's body despite multiple holes perforating it's body and large burns all across it's skin.

"Tauer, do you have a research kit with you?" Hall asked, still staring at the corpse. His squad mate nodded and pulled out a small metallic box from his backpack and set it down on the dirt gently, withdrawing a small syringe from it's foam casing. Stepping forward, he pushed it into the flesh and withdrew a vial of dark green blood, examining it in the failing light around. Placing it back in the case, he pulled out a small metallic container, a glass vial in the center of it all. Pushing it up against the stomach of the creature, small blue lasers cut into the flesh, the small piece of glass sliding into the muscles and fat. Just as it was about to finish, Tauer stopped for a second and repositioned himself, setting his rifle onto the dirt next to his feet. Despite his incredible reflexes, he wasn't able to jump out of the way as the creature lurched back to life, gurgling and screaming in a sickening tone as it knocked the soldier to the ground, his hands grabbing the dirt for the grip of his rifle. The rest of the squad opened up with their weapons and cut holes through the creature as it tried to run around them, but it fell back to the ground after being pummeled by plasma. Continuing to shoot, they slowly walked forward as it jerked and shook with each consecutive shot. Tauer had gotten back to his feet and leveled his rifle, settling his rattled nerves and ignoring his adrenaline filled and shaking hands.

"You alright?" Hall asked, cocking his head to the right just enough so he could see over his shoulders.

"Yes sir, I'm fine." Off in the distance, the soft hum of the drop ship reached their ears and looking out in the direction of the sound, they could see the hunchbacked form of the craft, dropping down to the deck while kicking up a huge plume of dust in it's wake. Flaring it's small wings and adjustment thrusters, it hovered over them while the gravity lift opened up. Floating up into the dark interior, Tauer was the last one in as he secured the blood sample. Holding the small case in his hands, he fiddled with it nervously and had a slightly disappointed look behind his mask as he was unable to get the tissue sample that he wanted.

* * *

"Transmit all of the video back to Shi-Kai, they'll want to see these ASAP. I need to know what your assessments are of the landing zones, people back there are getting antsy and want to get going on all of this, they're tired of waiting." The Fleet Admiral was standing in front of a large holographic table, normally displaying the fleet it was now showing one of the three proposed landing zones. His salt and pepper hair seemed out of place on his almost smooth face, only a few wrinkles cutting across his face as well as a few stray hairs on his chin and cheeks that dodged the razor.

"Our zone was poor. While the land is flat, it sits below the surrounding land and has very few vantage points to allow the camp to see if there's anything on the horizon. I would not recommend landing there." One of the Specter commanders had stepped out of the shadows and spoke to the Fleet Admiral, his armor lit eerily from the single light and with every movement his body made, the blue glow and hard shadows on his armor would change. Voices of agreement rose up from the shadows as the different officers each agreed with the assessments of their comrades.

"Did anyone find anything suitable?" the Admiral asked, annoyed at this turn of events.

"Yes sir," Hall said, stepping forward into the light. "Our zone had a three-hundred and sixty view of the plains and the soil and ground was suitable for construction." Their landing zone winked up in the air, showing the almost completely flat land they had been tasked with surveying.

"Then that's where we'll land. I'll give out the order. Dismissed."

* * *

A soft electronic tone chimed in a rhythmic beat, just barely filling the dark room it was whistling in. A few silent seconds passed before the tune played again, this time noticeably louder. Didact stirred in the soft bed, opening his eyes, it took a few seconds before his enhanced vision adjusted to the inky black around him.

"I'm awake," he whispered softly as the sound began to play again, stopping when he spoke. Sliding his right arm off of Tyro's bare back, he pulled the blankets off of him and quietly pushed himself to the edge of the bed, rolling off of his stomach and onto his back before swinging his legs over the edge. Grabbing a pair of long black night pants off of the floor, he pulled them over his tight boxers and tiptoed across the soft carpeting. Once he was out of the bedroom, the rest of their house slowly lit up with a soft golden light that tiptoed upwards as his eyes adjusted. In the living room, he turned on a small holo-projector and the lights immediately dimmed back down as the room was filled with bright blue light. A tall figure hovered in the air, dressed in full military garb. Looking around absentmindedly, Didact had to remind himself that all of the actions and emotions of the hologram were based strictly off of the tone of voice of the speaker, or other preprogrammed functions. In this case, he was waiting for the channel to connect and the projector was visually representing that.

"Colonel Volk, sir." The hologram snapped to attention and saluted as Didact waited. "The recon missions have returned and they've decided on a landing zone located about five miles away from the research lab. They're proceeding with building the permanent camp now."

"That was fast," Didact responded, pulling his hand through his hair in annoyance at their eagerness to land.

"There's something else," the Colonel said quietly, the image looking around nervously for eavesdroppers. "One of the recon squads encountered an indigenous life form that was infected by the parasite. They got a blood sample and it' been sent to one of the remote research tankers that they've set up in case of an outbreak. But the infected creature was highly aggressive and could take multiple shots that were normally mortal. Hopefully the blood samples can give us a better idea as to how these things work."

"We'll find out soon enough I suppose. Is that all?"

"Yes, sir."

"Thank you, if you have any more information, just have it waiting for me tomorrow morning." Closing the connection, he turned around to see Tyro standing in the hallway wearing dark blue short shorts, pulling a shirt down over her head.

"What was that about?" she asked, her voice still groggy with sleep.

"They've begun to land on the surface and set up shop."

"I heard something about a blood sample..." she said, slowly trailing her voice off as she walked over to kitchen and ruffled around in the refrigerator, tying her hair up behind her head in a messy bun.

"Yeah...one of the recon squads was attacked by an infected animal and they managed to get a blood sample from it. But it's not leaving the planet, they're going to keep it on a secure research tanker so there's no chance for you to get touchy feely with it," he responded with a quick laugh, Tyro responding with an unenthusiastic look.

"I'll have the data within a few hours," she finally responded as if sounding like it wasn't too important. Taking a few sips from a cup, leaning over the counter with her shoulders hunched up and her waist off to the side, she scrunched her face up. "I need to get some sleep. Don't stay up too late worrying about anything, they'll take care of any problems." Didact nodded and sat down on one of their couches and rested his head on his fist, letting out a long yawn.


	5. Change of Heart

Chapter 4: Change of Heart

"Captain Targas, I would like to show you something that I've been tracking." Corona's tone of voice was difficult to judge, always calm and collected, rarely straying beyond her cool tone of speech. Targas glanced over at the small holographic projector next to his console, a golden figure hovering in the air with her hands at her side, then looked back at the readout he had been handed.

"Give me a moment, please." The AI, annoyed at his response, put her hands on her hips and spoke again, her voice only slightly raised.

"Sir, I believe this information is time sensitive. I believe it would be best if you looked at it now." Noticing this subtle change, he handed the small tablet back to the crew member and headed over towards his chair. Floating ominously in the main window was the planet, it's green and yellow atmosphere swirling across the different wind patterns making the clouds look as if they were stripes on some sort of animal. "I've been tracking the heat signatures on the planet since we've arrived and I've noticed something alarming. The parasite has somehow managed to infect beneath the surface of the planet." An overlay appeared on the screen, showing heat abnormalities on the planet. Spreading from the research facility outwards was a ball of red, orange, and white light. Extending out were hundreds of tendrils that spread across almost a quarter of the planet, thickest near the epicenter while thinning as they spread out from there.

"What am I looking at?" Targas understood the general idea of what was being displayed, but without context he was lost.

"The parasite seems to be growing beneath the surface. My best guess is that it's using the minerals in the soil in conjunction with lifeforms on the surface that it's infected to create whatever is underground. If that's the case, this parasite is much more dangerous than we originally anticipated." Targas pulled his hand down his face from his nose, pulling the rest of his skin with it while stretching his eyelids out. Sighing loudly he closed his eyes and slowly shook his head.

"Broadcast the information that you've got to the other AIs in the fleet and have them inform their captains. Commands needs to know about this back home, so send it to them first with everything you've go as well as any predictions,we're their only link to out here."

"Affirmative, sir."

* * *

The fall sun has barely risen over Shi-Kai, a gray sky morning on the capital-planet that threatened worse weather as the day went. Flat light reflected off of the skyscrapers, the morning rush of people getting to where they needed to be already in full swing. Didact stood in the kitchen, sipping on the last remaining drops of his coffee, barely listening to the news in the background. Staring out the window at the gray and white sky, he couldn't help but feel as if it was a harbinger of sorts, even though he had no reason to believe so. Looking at the clock, he decided it was time to leave and set his cup down on the counter top, vowing to put it away when he came home. Picking up his briefcase and jacket, he headed out of their home and into the elevator. Stepping out of it, he made his way through a series of hallways before he was out in the cool morning air, a light breeze blowing across his face, fluttering the straps at the side of the black knee length coat. Underneath, his uniform was perfectly pressed, the dark jacket and pants lined with red thread up and down the sides, golden buttons holding the coat across his chest. 

"Good morning, Demon," someone said to him, the voice instantly recognizable as an older one. Stopping in his tracks, he looked around the empty platform and could see that his transport was nowhere to be seen and a group of men was standing behind him, off to the side of the door he had just walked through. As he had initially guessed, an elderly man stood in front of the armed soldiers, their long rifles in their hands ready to be fired at a moments noticed. Hunched over slightly, Chairman Hoyt was leaning on a simple wood cane in his left hand freeing up his right hand.

"Sir," Didact responded, bowing down slightly.

"Please, you have been part of our family for many years now, there is no need to do that." The Chairman seemed much more approachable than he was during their first encounter in the council chambers. "If you will, please come with me. There are items we must discuss and time is of the utmost importance." Didact felt his stomach drop a little bit when he heard this and all he could muster was a nod of his head. Hoyt motioned with his hand and Didact followed it, his eyes finally settling on a dropship heading towards them.

"These are the latest images, taken approximately one hour ago." Didact took the small tablet from one of the armored soldiers, resting it in his hands. The image showed Sera, more than half of it covered in the underground parasite.

"The council is holding an emergency meeting later today, unfortunately the earlier I could have it convened. What I'm seeing here is very alarming and is a new part of the equation that must be taken into account." Didact was sitting in the rear of the transport, flanked on both sides by soldiers while the others stood in the middle and sat next to the Chairman. The Demon continued to read over the tablet in an attempt to fully comprehend what it was he was reading, soft light from the readout illuminating the dark interior. "What are you thinking, Demon?"

"With all due respect, what I'm thinking isn't suitable for repeating."

"I understand," Hoyt replied with a slight chuckle. "Your past comments will be taken into consideration at this newest meeting, I can assure you that."

"Thank you, I appreciate it." The Chairman nodded in the darkness as the transport slowed down. "You'll be hearing from me later so I would suggest you stay in contact."

"I will."

* * *

Heavy rain had begun to fall in the city, only the nearest buildings were still visible through the dark gray haze as the raindrops fell from the sky. Didact had changed into his armor and stood in the lobby outside of the High Command war room, taking a break from their meeting. Mirrored stone covered the floor beneath his metal boots, veins of white rock contrasting against the sparkling black. Rich wood furniture mixed with the brushed metal beams that cut up from the floor and over the angled ceiling. The entire morning had been dominated by pointless meetings as they were informed of small conflicts with terrorist groups, rebels, or other small time matters. Didact had been antsy the entire time, hoping to hear something new about the parasite or from the Chairmen and his decision. A low rumble reverberated through the building, the rain getting heavier as the clouds grew darker and darker in the sky. Behind him, the door opened with a quiet grinding of metal on metal followed by the sound of echoing clacks of footsteps on the stone floor. Whoever was behind him began to speak, not waiting for Didact to turn around and face him. 

"Chairman Hoyt has just called."

"I know," Didact responded tersely. Despite the fact that Absolve was technically a higher rank than him, the two didn't follow the rules when they were by themselves. "He actually gave me a ride here today, told me he was going to be reevaluating their original decision on all of this." Absolve grunted in acknowledgment at his statement but didn't say anything else. "Why does it feel like I'm the only one that is seeing something? That I'm seeing the writing on the wall while everyone else is looking at their feet?"

"Because, Didact, you're ignoring the ways that we were taught. This is life that you want to destroy in the blink of an eye and a lot of other people aren't as willing to take that step. At least not without a good cause."

"Maybe you're right...but I don't want to get caught with my pants down."

"Wouldn't we all?"

Didact stood near the rear of the darkened room like he always did, only chiming in when he really had to say something. The other Demons stood staring at the center of the table as the hologram waited to be reactivated. With a sudden flash of bright light, an image of the Chairman appeared in the center of the room, all of them bowed save for Didact.

"Thank you for joining us, Demons. Earlier today the council sat down to reconsider the vote that we had a few days earlier. As all of you are well aware, the parasite has begun to terraform Sera by spreading beneath the surface. This brings up an interesting question, should we continue the research or destroy the planet? Our decision wasn't made lightly and it was not easy. The council has concluded that, for the time being, the mission...will continue." Didact was about to swallow when he stopped and looked up at Hoyt, anger coursing through his veins. "At the moment, the parasite is still hundreds of feet below the surface and does not possess a serious threat to camp as it stands now. We will bring the research and security team down to skeleton levels and leave transports at the camp in case of a need for evacuation. I'm sure there are some of you who do not agree with this decision, but there will be no negotiation until the variables have changed. That it is all." The hologram shut off and within seconds fierce debate had broken out. Quickly the debate shifted away from the actual matter of glassing the planet or not, and instead focused on who they actually had to listen to.

"Our mission is to defend our people from any threats that we may face. This is one of those and we must eliminate it!" Didact only listened partially, instead focusing inward and gathering his thoughts.

"The council has given it's ruling and we must follow it. To do so is to be a traitor!" Someone fired back quickly. The argument continued to devolve as Demons got into each others faces and resorted to personal assaults. All the while, Didact was thinking and then in an instant he made up his mind. Walking away from the wall, he pushed through the horrifying dissolution of military decorum and laws. He received no resistance until he was halfway down the hallway before his name rang out.

"Where are you going?" Absolve called out.

"I'm taking command of the fleet there." Didact slowly turned around as he spoke, his voice quiet and without emotion.

"There is already a Demon in command, Didact. We have a presence there."

"And there will be still, all that is changing is who that Demon is." No expression was on Didact's face, only a few glimpses of determination flashing in his eyes.

"If you do that, you will be responsible for whatever happens there. They will have you head if you do anything rash." A small crowd had filtered out and was watching the exchange. Absolve and Didact had assumed a sort of stand-off, neither willing to step away. Didact finally relented and turned away from his comrades, walking out of sight.

* * *

The storm overhead had continued to strengthen, thunder rumbling every couple of minutes as the water came down in almost a solid wall of water. Didact walked through a large metallic door as it opened slowly, the hydraulics hissing as it stopped in it's recesses. Walking into the vaulted hangar, a combination of rain and footsteps echoing back forth between the walls. In the center of the hangar were three of the newest model of transports, painted black with red accents in the instantly recognizable colors of a Demon. Hovering over the floor, the ships were sleek and smooth, a slight humpback shape as the cockpit and engine outputs sat below the passenger compartment. The sides of the craft were open, allowing for either dismount on the side or through the gravity lift. On either side, just above the passenger compartment were the two engines, the only give away being a triangle shaped opening just behind the cockpit, extending all the way back to the sloping tail where a directional control protruded from the back. Standing at attention around the craft were heavily armored guards who snapped to attention the moment they spotted Didact. 

"I'm sorry we could not bring the _Forseti _here, we did not have enough notice." The captain said, speaking to Didact after he walked up to him and saluted. Wearing the normal combat suit, the only difference between with his armor was the white stripe on his left shoulder.

"I understand captain, do not worry about it."

"The troops are being recalled as we speak and should be back by the time we arrive at the port."

"Thank you," Didact replied as he floated up through the gravity lift. The troops around the three dropships fell back into the ships as their engines spun up. Rotating to the left, the three ships pointed towards the hangar exit and prepared to take off. Leading them was the left most ship, speeding out into the rain leaving an enormous rooster tail in the hanger from the still water on the deck. Following was Didact's ship as it's engines kicked into full power and leaped out of the hangar. Within a few seconds the command spire was just one of many buildings on the horizon and they were blazing towards the port. Civilian traffic was swerving out of their way all around as the transports commanded the flight paths and didn't allow for anyone else to follow or block their way. Sitting at the door, Didact was able to watch as the buildings zipped past, ignoring the screaming of the engines as they ran at their highest power without protest. Off in the distance, the city quickly fell away, leaving the skyline seemingly empty and without any landmarks. A few seconds later, though, a large sleek black shadow glided up into the clouds, illuminating them with a ghostly blue glow as the three enormous engines glowed brightly. Moving in closer and closer, small shapes could be seen going around a large circular building with a large seemingly empty space in the middle of it, leaving a small lip around the edge. Flying upwards, they could see into the enormous man made crater and marvel at the hundreds of capital ships that were stationed inside of the port. Near the center of the dome was an enormous starship, many times larger than it's nearest neighbors. The Leviathan-class ship featured a split hull design with the two prongs sloping away from the center rise and widening before coming back together near the rear of the ship, creating two triangle shaped wings. Beginning just behind the widest parts of the wings was the multiple leveled command spire, combining the two halves of the ship, with most of the propulsion and power generators located in this large area as well as some of the largest hangars. Sticking out beneath the pointed rear fin were four enormous engines, already warming up as clouds of rain and mist blew away from them. Flying around the rear of the _Forseti, _the transport slid into a small hangar that was almost at the top of the command spire on it's back side. Their escorts quickly peeled off and headed to one of the larger common hangers. Didact floated down to the hard hangar floor as the dropship hovered in place, on either side of him was a line of Specters standing stiff before saluting in unison as Didact walked between the two lines. Opposite of the Demon was a small gathering of officers in their dark blue naval uniforms, one of them standing in front of the rest with a large white stripe running from his wrists to his shoulders, a small checkerboard of medals and ribbons on his left breast. Snapping to attention, the command crew saluted Didact and waited until he returned their salute, dropping his hand down to shake the man in front.

"Mister Edos, thank you for getting everything ready so quickly," Didact said to the captain, a long time friend and XO of the _Forseti. _Edos was a younger man, having only graduated from the naval academy a few years earlier, shooting up through the ranks faster than anyone had ever seen. His assignment to a Demon's fleet, let alone XO on their flagship, was a sure sign he was being groomed for the elite band of soldiers. Like most other strict naval officers, Edos didn't sport the cornucopia of scars that Marines and Demons wore, his face still smooth and youthful, only a few premature wrinkles forming on his face from the stress of working a ship like the _Forseti._

"We did as was ordered, sir," the black haired man replied, his tone of voice conveying his thanks to Didact for the compliment. "Fleet Logistics has given us clearance to make the jump to Sera. They were a little curious as to why we were heading there but didn't press the issue.

"Good to hear." Didact began to walk, leading the group into a large elevator, the Demon standing in the center alone as the ship's commanders huddled around the sides. Within a few seconds, the cylinder had ascended to the bridge level of the command spire and opened to reveal the brightly lit room, golden sunlight pouring in through the main viewport in front of him. Out in front and below them were blinding white clouds, the enormous storm covering their portion of the city gliding below them silently. Didact and Edos walked forward and stopped next to the command chair, leaning on the rich wood railing in front of them. Nestled in front and below them was the small navigation bubble, the two pilots/navigators suspended in the air while being surrounded by a dizzying cocoon of holographic images. The two crew members were positioned so that all around them was open space, the bubble granting them a one hundred and eighty degree or more view in all directions.

"Please take us into orbit," Didact said, standing up straight while repositioning his hands on the railings.

"Aye sir," Edos replied while relaying the order to the pilots. They immediately positioned their hands over various parts of their HUD and pointed the _Forseti's _nose into the sky as it's engines spun up to the full power, propelling the enormous ship higher into the atmosphere. Within a few seconds the Leviathan-class ship was in space, leaving their planet behind. Didact didn't even let the thought enter that it was possibly the last time he would return under peaceful means. The main viewport was dominated by the millions upon millions of stars that sat in the permanent night, the easily recognizable shipping lanes crowded with an assortment of vessels. Dipping port the Forseti turned towards the system's star, Shi-Ouv, causing the bridge to be temporarily blinded before the main window quickly polarized the immense light. "We're in our Slipspace corridor," Edos finally said, breaking the relative silence of the bridge.

"Let's go," Didact responded. Out on the bow of the ship, small points of light began to form on the hull, quickly spreading into a hole in space large enough for the enormous warship to slide into. A few minutes later, the bridge was dark with the familiar loneliness and isolation of Slipspace.


	6. From the Deep

Chapter 5: From the Deep

Lieutenant Hall scanned the dark terrain through his wireless linked scope, the image filling up his visor while information scrolled back and forth at the bottom of his HUD. Flicking out of the view, he repositioned his rifle in his hands before taking a few steps on the small platform he was standing on, elevated nearly fifty feet feet into the air. Below him was the research camp, almost all of the external and internal lights shut off, the only light being a green blue hue from the shields surrounding the stout buildings. Hall had given the rest of his squad a break and took up the sniper perch, letting them get a good rest. Beginning his scan again, Hall couldn't see anything on the bare terrain, the parasite below them killing the flora above which had led to an almost permanent dust storm. Tonight they had gotten lucky though, the winds had stayed relatively calm which had kept the dust to a minimum.

"_Sir, do you need someone to relieve you?_" Tauer's voice crackled over their squad's comm channel, the soldier still sounding a little bit groggy.

"Negative, I'll wake you up when-," Hall stopped speaking as the ground rumbled below them. It wasn't a new event, but this latest earthquake was the strongest they had felt yet. Regaining his momentary loss in composure, Hall finished speaking. "I'll get you when I'm ready."

"_Affirmative_," Tauer replied and killed the channel. Pushing back a sudden yawn, Hall began to scan the terrain again. When he reach the halfway point, he noticed something out of place. A small crack had appeared in the ground, a soft gold light emanating from it. Zooming in further, he could see that a light mist was rolling out of the hole. Taking a few images of it, he bundled them up and added a quick note describing the shaking and sent the package to the Command and Control ship in geosynchronous low orbit over the camp.

"Tauer, get up her now."

"_That wasn't too long, sir_."

"Negative, I've got a possible contact." Tauer didn't respond but the Lieutenant could hear him begin to climb up the ladder.

"_Echo squad, this is _Silent Guardian_, confirm intel package." _Hall was grateful that the C and C ship was awake and monitoring their messages as not more than a few seconds had passed since he had sent the pictures up.

"_Silent Guardian_ this Lieutenant Hall, pictures are accurate but I am awaiting further information about what it is we're looking at."

"_Affirmative, a wing of Corsairs are on their way to an over watch pattern. ETA three minutes._" Switching over to his thermal view, the Lieutenant was astonished at what he was looking at. The air around the crack was burning bright white, a stark contrast to the greens everywhere else.

"That thing just showed up and it's already lit up the air around it," he said, speaking to Tauer who was now standing behind him. Sticking out his hand and pointing to it with his index finger, Tauer followed it to the small glowing dot in the distance. A few moments passed before he said anything.

"What do you think it is?"

"I'm not sure, it's already been brought to the attention of the C and C so we'll see where this goes." Hall leaned over towards a small holographic panel next to him and sent out a message to all of the military personnel explaining what it was he had found. There was flurry of acknowledgment responses in the form of a small green circle on his HUD, two blue ones appearing on the other side of his visor representing Janus and Muron down below. "I want you two to stay down there," Hall said to them. "If anything happens, I want you to escort the scientists out of here. You too, Tauer." There was a slight hesitation in their acknowledgments and he knew that they weren't happy with this order, they had been trained to fight as a squad and value the lives of their brothers over their own. To suddenly disregard this was a slightly jarring and gave a strong hint that Hall was not confident with the situation. Just as he was about to sight in on the hole again, all hell broke loose around them. The earth around them began to shake so violently that Hall was afraid their tower might collapse under the strain. Towering geysers of steam and gases erupted into the sky, tearing the ground into enormous pieces that were tossed around like pieces of paper. All over, the ground was cracking and buckling under the strain of the shaking that continued on at the same intensity for what seemed like an eternity. Golden light flooded out of the holes in the ground that were now all around the base at different intervals. Almost as fast as it had started, the ground stopped shaking and calmed down as an eerie silence hung over the plain. Hall quickly sent out a message to the _Silent Guardian_ explaining what had just happened.

"_Echo squad, stand-by, command is discussing a new course of action. We'll inform you when a decision has been made, until that time, please direct all requests for assistance to Rowdy Four Three." _

"Affirmative," he replied. Something quickly caught Hall's eye just before he was about to call in to Rowdy Four Three, the Corsair squadron leader. Stalking in and out of the shadows were different silhouettes of animals, all moving in unnatural and awkward ways. Zooming in, he could see that hundreds of infected animals were making their way towards the base walls. Breaking out of the slow march they were in, they began to run full speed towards the shield walls. Instantly Hall began to open fire on them with his long rifle, calling into his comm at the same time. "Contacts moving towards us at high speed!" Within a few seconds, the other towers were firing with their rifles and turrets as the infected animals rushed towards them. Hall sounded the alarm for the base which caused a siren to blare loudly.

"_Echo squad, transports are inbound to evacuate non-combat personnel_." Hall was grateful to hear that Silent Guardian was sending them support, but he was worried that if the parasite got within the walls they may not be able to defend the scientists.

"Rowdy Four Three, this is Echo squad. We have a large enemy force outside of our perimeter and are in need of immediate air support."

"_Request received, air support in bound._" The pilot's voice was gruff and forceful sounding, matching his name perfectly. Continuing to fire, Hall was continually frustrated as a normally lethal shot did nothing to phase the parasite as it continued to stumble forward. The Corsairs could be heard off in the distance as their engines screamed loudly in the dark night. Roaring overhead, all Hall could see were the two engines in the rear glowing blue and white. Within a second, enormous explosions of plasma mushroomed in the plains around them as the infected creatures howled and screamed in pain while others were incinerated instantly by the superheated air. Tendrils of plasma licked around as the entire field erupted in blue and white flames that lingered for a few seconds before disappearing. Despite the voracious assault attack on the parasites, still they came from off in the distance, the ones closest throwing themselves against the shield walls in a futile attempt to get in. Hall knew it was only a matter of time before they would be able to over run the camp with just shear numbers and the Corsairs wouldn't be be able to hold them off forever. To make matters worse, off in the distance Hall saw that thousands of small bulbous creatures had begun to stream out of the holes in the ground. Walking on a grouping of small tendrils underneath their bodies, they waddled forwards, the elongated portion on top of them hanging limp and glowing the same golden color as before. Moving at a high speed, they quickly pushed their way through the hundreds of infect animals and towards the shield walls. Jolting Hall out of his almost trance like state as he watched the creatures swam forward was another air strike from the Corsairs, their guns tearing away at anything in the open while the plasma bombs lit up the night sky, giving the Lieutenant a brief look at the silver crafts, their twin booms joining near the rear of the craft where the cockpit sat nestled in between the two short wings that extended out and curved back in slightly. The Corsairs were the latest evolutionary step in the Forerunner's newest design philosophy, moving away from the large lumbering capital ships and instead focusing more on sleeker, faster, and aesthetically pleasing designs. Hall had seen images of the first capital variant of this new philosophy, the Dreadnought, but had yet to see anything large than the Corsairs above them. Looking off in the distance, three heavy transports lumbered towards the camp, dropping lower as they came in while their turrets were strafing anything and everything.

"Janus, Muron, the transports are here. Get the civies out of here as fast as you can, I don't want those transports touching down longer than they need to."

"_Affirmative sir_," they both responded.

"Tauer, join then, I've got it taken care of up here." Tauer hesitated before responding as Hall continued to fire into the mass of creatures below, trying to take as many of them down as he could.

"Yes sir, I'll see you topside." Priming a grenade, Hall remained silent as he tossed it out into the parasitic mass, the plasma blast incinerating thirty of them as they piled higher and higher onto each other. The shield walls were substantially shorter than the towers that Hall and others were on, they only stood thirty feet tall, and by this point in time the highest bulges were reaching the halfway point. Down below, the last of the scientists were gathering on the platform as some of the Marines and Specters helped them get into three groups. Hall knew that the civilians would be able to get out in time, but despite his willingness to sacrifice himself in order to save them, there was still a part of himself that was interested in staying alive and their rescuers would need to be en route if that was going to happen. A third air strike came in on the parasite, this time coming closer than the last. There was only one way they could buy themselves some time but Hall knew it was risky and if it didn't work, would in fact shorten the time they had.

"I want all units to fall back to the landing zone, set up a defensive perimeter there. Rowdy Four Three, please bring in multiple air strikes on the perimeter wall on my mark." Thankfully the Marines acknowledged his order and began to fall back, leaving the turrets on auto fire mode as they struggled to designate targets in the mass of enemies. Turning back towards his holographic panel, Hall navigated to the wall control and turned the power level up as high as it could go, warnings telling him the generators wouldn't be able to handle the sudden output of energy. Quickly shifting back to another screen, he turned off the power to everything but the landing zones and turrets, substantially increasing the amount of time they had before the generators would give out. Hall wasn't too worried though, they wouldn't need more than a few more minutes.

"_Lieutenant, our strikes are going to destroy those shield walls_."

"They'll hold, I just need one strike on them. This is the only way we can hold out long enough for evac."

"_Affirmative, we'll be standing by until you're ready." _Quickly sliding down to the ground, Hall could see that the shields had increased in their intensity as the blue and green light flooded the camp. Running towards the landing zone, he could see the other soldiers had already dropped down portable shields and hovering turrets, the drones stabilizing themselves with four small wings that were attached to the corners of the drones. Sliding behind their defensive line, Hall waited for the three transports to take off, the last of the shocked scientists climbing aboard. Falling in around his was his squad, eager to remain with him at all costs.

"Rowdy Four Three, we're ready, bring the pain."

"_On it's way_," he replied instantly. A few seconds passed before their were encircled with enormous explosions of plasma, the entire shield wall straining under the force of the explosions that continued to rock them. As the sound began to die down, the screams of the animals echoed around the open ground while the nauseating smell of burnt flesh filled the filtered air inside of Hall's mask. Dashing over towards the holographic panel near the landing zone, he brought the shields down to their normal levels, the generators no longer blaring warnings about energy output levels.

"_Silent Guardian_, this Echo squad. Non-combatants have been evacuated from the camp, all of the military forces have assembled around the landing zone and are in need of an immediate evacuation."

"_Request received, stand-by_." This wasn't the response that Hall had been looking for but he kept his feelings to himself. The air strikes had given them breathing room, but it seemed as if every single living creature on the planet had assembled to assault the camp. Even more troubling was the fact that the parasite seemed organized, as if they were being coordinated from somewhere else. Snapping him out of his day-dreaming was a call over someone's external speakers.

"Part of the wall has failed, they're coming in!" Hall's heart raced when he heard this, it wasn't what he had planned for.

"Rowdy, we've got a break in the shield wall, I need you to bring ordinance down outside of the wall. We can hold off whatever made it inside."

"_Affirmative, payload on it's way._" The tell tale screaming of the engines filled the air as it crackled around them, Hall's vision distorting with the deafening noise despite his helmet's smart sound dampers. Plasma explosions lit up the night sky as the energy caused the air to pop and sizzle hellishly. Again screams echoed between the buildings and it went silent. Coming into the lights of the landing pad, disfigured animals of all different kinds ran at them, their bodies broken and mutilated as the parasite took control. Almost all of the thirty or so Marines opened fire with their rifles and cut down the infected creatures.

"_Echo one, this is_Silent Guardian_, we have a cargo ship inbound to pick your men up. Command has requested you and your squad ride aboard the escort._"

"Roger that!" He yelled out as the parasite recovered from the strike and rushed back in, their rifles firing no stop now. "ETA?"

"_Unsure, no more than a few minutes_." Hall cursed under his breath, he wasn't sure they would be able to hold out for a few more minutes. Moving towards the largest grouping of enemies, he pressed the trigger down on his rifle and fired into the mass of pestilent flesh that was building up and moving towards them as the creatures behind used their fallen comrades for cover. Mixed in with them were a large number of the infectious bulbs, ducking in and out of limbs as they made their way towards the Marines. Their fire was slowly being diluted as the parasite spread down the other pathways between the buildings to come around the other flanks of their hold out. Whipping back and forth, Hall was calmly but hastily shooting whatever was closest to them. This went on for almost a minute, the Lieutenant occasionally glancing up into the sky to see if their help was on the way. Just as he was about to give up hope, Hall could feel the ground beneath him rumble and shake with a slowly increasing intensity. Up in the sky, three bright blue lights shone through the clouds, the outline of a small freighter materializing as it came down towards the surface. On either side of it were two light transports, their many guns lighting up almost at once as it cut into the swarms of the parasite around them, all of them exploding in a cloud of blood and gore that sprayed across the Marines. The freighter hovered about a hundred feet over the soldiers and waited as the two transports dropped down to the service, their lasers and turrets still firing. Sitting on either side of the landing zone, an officer hopped out of one of them and ran towards Hall.

"You and your squad need to be on board these birds, you're not going where they're going." The Commander was a fellow Specter and was one of the more liberal officers within the elite force, showing no interest in military protocols; everyone was equal in his book.

"Yes sir," Hall replied, motioning for Janus and Muron to ride in the other ship while he and Tauer ran over to theirs. As the transports lifted off into the air, the Lieutenant could see the container attached to the bottom of the transport open up and extend out rappel lines for the Marines to latch onto.

* * *

All He had to do was think of what He wanted and it was done. The Infection forms were linked to His mind and were acting in unison, a perfect society where all of it's members worked for the greater good. They had been lucky, the initial infected couldn't have been more advantageous for Him, They were so smart, so full of knowledge; all He needed now was a way off of the planet and They had brought it to Him. Already, more minds were being brought under His control, military tactics flooded into Him and a shudder rippled throughout the colony, this sudden influx of knowledge was like ecstasy. One of His Combat forms confirmed that no warning had been relayed to the rest of Their fleet, the pilot had yet to be assimilated but he had no knowledge of what was lurking in the cargo container. A few moments passed, the colony attempting to hold back it's excitement. He knew His time was coming to a close, with every expansion came new Graveminds until they reached a state of perfection. If the coordinates He possessed were as important as they seemed, that point may be sooner rather than later. Three minds joined into the hive at almost the same time and He knew they had been successful. Releasing an explosion of built up pleasure, He allowed the colony to enjoy their hard fought victory for a few moments before returning His thoughts to the mission at hand. Taking direct control of the Captain, He could see the controls in his mind, the single button representing salvation. He allowed the rest of the host's senses to flow into Him, even the pain of the transformation process as the host's DNA changed and it's bones and flesh twisted and tore. Then, after giving the command, He lost everything. Despite His strength, He was still unable to control the hive on a galactic scale, their fate resting in the hands of individual Infection forms. This time He kept his emotions to Himself, there was no need to agitate the hive, especially when their was still a threat here. 


	7. Planetside

Chapter 6: Planetside

"Exiting Slipspace in three...two...one. Re-entering normal space now." In front of Didact the navigator to his right was narrating their actions for him, something that he had heard thousands of times. Replacing the black space in front of them was Sera, but there was something very different about it, something Didact hadn't been expecting. Half the planet was covered in clouds of swirling black smoke with the source of the pollution visible as the angry white fires burned on the surface. He didn't need to listen to the message they received to know what had happened during their jump, the few ships that were hovering the planet were there to clean up what was left.

"_Demon...your arrival has come at the most grievous of times. The parasite has escaped the planet using our brothers as their tools, most of the fleet has followed but we have remained to destroy the threat once and for all._" Closing his eyes, Didact put his right arm onto the railing in front of him and calmed his beating heart, unwilling to show any more emotion than he was already. "_When the transport saved them from the compound the foul creatures attacked them and made it's way into the compartment bay where they were infected. We didn't know until the last moment."_

"Continue your work, we will follow and burn the parasite." Stepping away from the railing, he took a few steps before speaking. "Jump again, wherever they went is where we're going too."

"Sir...the coordinates point to Corstun. It's the largest colony in the region, if the parasite lands on the planet there will be billions at risk and a large fleet at their disposal." Edos' voice was pained but Didact could do nothing about what they were given and walked away without replying.

* * *

Walking into his quarters, Didact paced uneasily on the soft carpet with the lights kept dim. A few small pictures were scattered on low burrows and other flat surfaces, but for the most part he kept the large open space spartan and clean. His desk sat near the rear of the room and was made of a dark wood with a slab of stone inlaid on the top of it, polished almost to a mirror. Situated on both sides of the table were two small holographic projectors, the small metallic orbs barely noticeable. Didact fought back the habit of checking for any new messages, Slipspace preventing anything from coming or going. Pacing again, he tried to collect himself and keep his mind focused but his thoughts continued to run rampant and think about everything that could happen if the parasite spread. He finally stopped himself and calmed his mind. Realizing what it was that he needed to do, he walked over to a door that was almost invisible against the metallic walls of his quarters. The room was only slightly larger than a closet with a single light overhead casting a soft golden glow on the intricately engraved walls. Kneeling down, the door closed silently behind him and Didact sat back on his armored heels. The Demon took a deep breath and closed his eyes as the light dimmed down and then shut off, bathing the room in blackness. Waiting a few seconds, he opened his back up and focused his eyes on an incredibly small orb of soft blue light glowing in front of him. In a burst of light, the orb transformed into a complex figure that hovered silently in the air, the entire room taking on the same blue hue as the shape. The shape was an ornate, upside down "U" with the inside made of two straight lines that arced at the top and the outside missing small sections that was mirrored on the other. On the upper edges were two spikes hovering disconnected from the rest of the shape. The holographic projection was one of the many different symbols of the Forerunner faith, this one belonging to Didact's particular sect.

"Speak for those who cannot speak, fight for those who cannot fight, love for those who cannot love." His words were quiet and in the small room sounded muffled. Reciting a small part of The Mantel, his oath to advance and protect the species of the galaxy, Didact already felt more at ease. "Those who have come before me and faced challenges greater than my own, please guide me during my tribulations." Again, he followed the prayer with a few moments of silence before putting forth his petitions. "I find myself on the edge of a blade, the slightest miscalculation resulting in the deaths of billions. But what can I do when my words fall on deaf ears...must I stand by and watch?" Didact felt a sudden surge of anger and try as he might, he was unable to hold himself back. "WHAT AM I TO DO!?" Didact's heart was racing after his outburst, his skin clammy beneath his armor. The Demon continued to stare at the ground in front of him with his mouth open and his chest heaving quickly. "Guide my feet...I give them to you freely. Help me defend my people to the best of my ability. Should that prove inadequate, guide another in my place." Content with his petition, Didact bowed his head and set his hands on his knees, mouthing a series of obligatory prayers before standing back up.

* * *

The lights of the bridge were kept low, a soft blue glow falling on the metal walls while the edges of thin and intricate designs glowed brightly. Didact couldn't see anyone inside as he walked in slowly and surveyed the surroundings as the ship's AI, Enigmatic Flame, monitored all of the different systems on board the ship. Just as he was about to leave he saw someone slouched over in their chair and asleep on a small desk in the wall to the right of his command chair. Walking over to Edos, he could see that all of the holographic displays were filled with information on Corstun ranging from topographical maps to detailed defense force numbers and preparedness levels. The timer over the desk gave a readout of their time in Slipspace which had just rolled over twenty hours with at least another five if the currents favored them, it wasn't a stretch to think that Captain Edos had been up for almost forty hours straight and had finally given in to his bodily urges.

"Mr. Edos, I would suggest your quarters next time, you'll sleep better." Setting his hand onto Edos' shoulder, he woke the young officer from his sleep, his eyes still groggy. When he saw the Demon standing over him, Edos quickly realized who it was he was looking at and tried to stand up to salute. Didact put pressure on his shoulder and kept him in his seat. "Don't worry about it, I'm here as a friend." Edos nodded and relented back into his seat and rubbed his eyes as he tried to wake himself up. "What have you been researching?"

"What we're up against...which isn't too pretty if you ask me. Corstun's traffic patterns are regularly filled with thousands and thousands of ships, and if that freighter loses itself in those paths then there's next to nothing we can do about it."

"Sounds like we've got the odds stacked against us."

"Sounds like it..." Edos said, his voice trailing off.

"I want you to be prepared for something I don't want to have to do. If the parasite lands or it infects other ships, then we're blocking all Slipspace traffic and destroying every single ship that isn't part of our fleet. I'm not going to let this thing spread any further."

"I understand sir." Didact kept his mouth open as he played with his tongue along his cheek, slightly disturbed at the thought of killing billions of civilians who were in the wrong place at the wrong time.

"_Demon, there is a Slipspace beacon approaching our position._" The cool female voice filled the empty bridge as Enigmatic Flame spoke to Didact.

"Pick it up, play it when you can." A few moments passed as the ship sped through Slipspace before a video hovered in front of Didact's command chair. The face that was displayed was unmoving as the audio played in the background.

"This is Captain Targas of the _Wrath of Tor. _Our fleet will slow down in order for you to catch up with us in order to coordinate our exits from Slipspace. Command us with strength." The image disappeared and the bridge was once again lit by the few ceiling lights on as well as the myriad of holographic displays still on.

"_Demon, I have updated our arrival to DM-3-1123 and DM-3-1123 b to be four hours and twenty one minutes. Protocol dictates that all crew members be at stations within four hours of a Slipspace exit. Shall I override the protocol and set a new ready time?_"

"No, this is enough time. I want all of the Marines prepared for a possible landfall as well as the Corsair wings hot when we exit."

"_As you wish_," she responded and set about her work.

* * *

Jhona Gravel stared blankly at the monitor in front of him, occasionally glancing out into the black space around him. Sitting in the pilot's chair wasn't necessarily uncomfortable but when he was nearing twelve hours without getting out of it he could begin to feel the wear on his numb rear and legs. The small fighter that he was sitting in had been floating in the same general area for the same amount of time, an occasional ping on his radar as a lost freighter wandered too far off of it's path and headed out into the open space. Gravel couldn't complain though, the naval militia paid well and he hoped after a few years he would be able to apply for a transfer to the real military and get out of the backwaters of the Forerunner empire, no matter how nice Corstun was. As the fighter continued it's slow nose over nose tumble in space, the planet began to dominate his view, it's white clouds obscuring the blue oceans and green forests below. The planet was a dime a dozen as it required almost no terraforming before it was colonized with only the small deserts disappearing as water was dumped on the barren lands. He could even see his home city and planetary capital, Temple, on the dark side with morning only a few hours away. Snapping him out of his daydreaming was a low double tone that chirped every five seconds. Winking on the screen was an alert for an incoming and unscheduled Slipspace jump at the edge of his patrol area. Very little information came up on the vessel, only listing it as a medium freighter coming from Sera. Gravel didn't give the minuscule amount of data a second thought, especially from where it was coming from, because the military had a tendency to give the bare minimum and call it a day.

"Control, this is Rockslide Eight. I've got an inbound freighter that's not on any of my itineraries." Cocking his head to the side in his silver helmet, he waited for the response that explained why he shouldn't care.

"_Rockslide Eight, we're expecting a freighter from that vector an hour later than current contact's ETA. Most likely caught a nice current and are coming in early._"

"Copy that," he responded and closed the comm link. Out in the dark of space, the first sparks of a Slipspace exit began to flicker and snap against the starry backdrop as the freighter made it's way towards the planet in it's Slipspace stream. In a sudden but underwhelming flash of light the freighter appeared out in the distance, something Jhona had seen his entire life. The freighter's gunmetal paint and aggressive angles and lines instantly gave it away as a military vessel with minuscule white paint all over and around it's different vents and ports. No information came up on it which wasn't too surprising for the pilot as most military craft kept their manifests and other call sign info hidden from whoever they could. Watching the freighter with only a passing glance, Gravel was about to ignore it completely when he saw that something green was spewing from the container area. The pilot had no interest in dealing with the other pilots who were almost surely aware of the problem by now. Leaning back in his seat a little, Gravel watched as the ship floated slowly through space, it's engine glowing dimly in the blackness. Shifting a little bit in his seat, he closed his eyes to wait out the last few hours of his stint in space. Sleep slowly fell over him as the minutes ticked by slowly, but he was awoken with a startle as alarms blared inside his helmet and the cockpit. Shaking the sleep from his eyes, he looked at the monitor in front of him and immediately took control of his ship and out of it's unending tumble. Firing his engines, he waited frantically as the engines slowly warmed back up, a single message flashed on the screen "Slipspace Exit Conflict." They finally took hold and the craft lurched forward, heading back towards the planet as fast as he could. Looking all around the space around Gravel, he couldn't see any of the telltale signs of an imminent exit. His last vision was of Corstun in front of him as the _Forseti _winked into space, vaporising the pilot and his ship in an instant.

* * *

"I'm...I'm not picking anything up sir. Every countermeasure it has on it must be active and it'll take time to cut through it all, even with the programs and access that we have." The ship's technology officer was turned around in his seat, look at Didact with a defeated look on his face and his voice apologetic.

"Do whatever you need to, I want this ship found." Didact heard the officer narrate under his breath about what he was going to do, starting with a scan based on tonnage. "Mr. Edos, please launch all Corsairs and have them began an immediate visual search of the traffic, drop Slipspace jammers and spread our ships out in blockade formation. I don't want anything coming in or out of this system."

"Aye sir," he replied as the XO began to bark out orders to the rest of the bridge who in turn sent it down the chain of command. Already their flight controllers were navigating the Corsair fighters around in the crowded space over Corstun. "When would you like to inform Shi-Kai of the outbreak?"

"Not yet. The minute they hear of this they are going to try and rectify their mistake by burning the planet to a cinder. We can still save these people and this planet, we just need time." Edos nodded in agreement as he turned to look out towards the planet.

"Oh god..." The two officers spun around to see who had spoken.

"What!?" Didact called out. "What's going on?" The communications officer looked at them and stared before speaking.

"The freighter crashed into the capital and the parasite is already spreading rapidly." Didact didn't feel much of anything when he heard this, his mind instantly looking at the situation strategically. Everyone around him awaited an order but he resisted his initial urge to glass the planet in one fell swoop.

"I want all Marines to go planet side, leave only the minimum on board to defend the ship in case something happens. Captain Edos, you are now in command of the _Forseti_ and the battle group as a whole until further notice. I'm going to accompany the landing parties and coordinate the ground forces with Enigmatic Flame to try and get a grip on this." Once he finished giving his order the bridge came alive as the different crew members set about relaying the orders to the necessary sources.

"Sir, permission to speak freely?" Edos asked in a low voice.

"I know what you're going to say and I know what I'm doing. I want someone in charge who I can trust to execute my orders completely and I don't know if the other ship captains will be able to do that. If things go wrong you know what you have to do, use me as a firing solution because I'll be up close and personal." Didact clenched his jaw and looked into the young Captain's eyes before looking away for a reason even he didn't know. Staring at the metal floor he fiddled with his fingers for a few seconds before leaving the bridge.

The entire hangar was buzzing with activity as the _Forseti_'s garrison prepared for war. All around the vaulted room were drop ships loading up troops from the hangar floor or one of the myriad of walkways extending out of the six floors that that hangar spanned. Already thousands of troops were ready to board their transport and go down to the surface, those that were full hovered near the shield walls as they shimmered and glistened blue in the dim hangar. Didact strode confidently in front of a squad of his personal body guards and other elite soldiers.

"Squad leaders, comm check," he said, speaking into his helmet.

"_Lieutenant Valance, Honor Guard_."

"_Lieutenant Hall, Specters, Echo squad_."

"I haven't met you before, were you stationed on another ship in the battle group?" Didact asked as they headed towards their drop ship hovering in a cleared space in the center of the hangar. On either side were columns of heavily armored soldiers, packs of supplies strapped to their backs while their rifles pointed into the air as they stuck to the rear armor plate by strong magnets. Some of them glanced over as the Demon walked past, his black and red armor a dead give away as to his status and rank.

"_No sir, my squad and I typically are engaged in counter-terrorism operations elsewhere. We were assigned to you because we have first hand experience with the parasite._"

"Really..." Didact said, turning his body and looking back over his shoulder at the Specter who wore a combat suit that was almost identical to his. Lieutenant Hall looked back into the mirrored blue visor that was staring him down and responded.

"_Yes sir. We were stationed at the outpost when it was assaulted, my squad and I were the only ones that survived the attack._"

"Hmmm, you've seen it up close. Expect me to rely on you for knowledge about how it fights."

"_Understood sir._" Stepping into the gravity lift of the hovering transport, Didact entered the familiar interior of the drop ship as he stepped aside to allow the rest to enter. Once they had all come up the ship lifted off the floor and joined the other ships in the holding pattern in front of the shields. Cutting the hangar into seven different sections were large arches that curved up from the hangar floor to the ceiling and then across it towards the rear wall before coming back down to the floor. About halfway up the spires were large platforms that extended out over the hangar floor allowing for easy access for the larger transports that carried their vehicles. Because of the cramped nature of urban warfare, they wouldn't be bringing any heavy armor but would instead be fielding a lot of Bandit fast attack vehicles. Sitting on two anti-gravity thrusters, the single seat sat behind two angular wings that came together in front of the pilot by way of a pulsating energy field that also powered the two cannons mounted on the inside of the wings. Hovering over them were the heavy transports which abandoned the passenger compartment and instead used the vacant space as a vehicle bay where they were held there by a strong gravity field. With proper positioning each vehicle transport could hold five Bandits but in this outing they were using the far more common two by two layout.

"_Sir, seventy-five percent of the troops are on board and are ready to launch._" Didact had a slightly hard time trying to hear Captain Edos over the roar of the transports as they positioned themselves for take off.

"Give the order Mr. Edos, you're in command now."

"_Yes sir_."


	8. Temple

Chapter 7: Temple

"_We're in the atmosphere, opening up the side doors._" The pilot's voice crackled over the internal speakers of the compartment as the thirteen soldiers inside rocked back and forth with the movements of the transport. Wind began to tear inside of the bay as the doors on either side slowly slid open to reveal a cloudy sky below them, bright light illuminating the clouds from underneath which gave away the position of Temple off in the distance. "_Storm just came through and is on its way out. Should clear up within an hour or so_."

"The weather is the least of our concerns," Didact replied with a soft chuckle.

"_Fair enough sir_," he replied with a laugh as well, an attempt to keep the mood light. On his HUD a small icon flashed quickly letting Didact know that a comm channel from the _Forseti_ was on hold.

"I'm here," the Demon said, his voice much more focused and serious.

"_Sir, Enigmatic Flame is getting work started on a dispersion model but she has limited resources so it's coming along slower than expected. We're also having a hard time pinpointing the range of the parasite's infection based on both radio traffic and heat signatures._"

"Alright, we'll do it based off of a visual scan before landing. Thank you for the update Mr. Edos." Didact closed the comm channel and switched back over to the local one. "Pilot, once we're over the city, drop down so that I can see the streets, we have to resort to a visual scan for our landing zone."

"_Roger that, we're almost at the city now so we'll drop down soon._" Didact scooted back towards the edge of the side door and stared down at the bright clouds below as they whipped past, an occasional thin spot giving him a small glimpse of the city below. With a sudden jolt the drop ship pushed into the clouds and encircled everything in a dark gray shade as light turbulence pushed at the craft. This lasted for a few seconds before the cloud layer thinned in patches as they were afforded views of the skyscrapers below before plunging back into the clouds. The Demon craned his neck out of the drop ship and looked into the shiny streets below as brightly lit towers passed them by and temporarily blinded the soldiers inside as the landings light flooded the cabin with white light.

"Shit...it looks bad down there." Didact ignored the soldier's remark and looked for himself. At first he saw nothing but the glistening streets below them with cars parked along the sidewalks, but after a few moments he saw something startling as a figure moved down the street in an awkward fashion followed by smaller objects below it.

"Where is the crash site?" he asked the pilot.

"_Just ahead_."

"Turn us around, this area is already infected."

"_Aye sir_." The drop ship banked to the left and spun back around on itself giving Didact a quick glance at the rest of the city. Small towers of smoke billowed into the sky in different locations around the city, the black clouds glowing orange from their sources below. A few small plasma bolts sailed off into the sky from the streets while the occasional light flickered on and off inside of the buildings. All around the city was a small mountain range still shrouded in clouds covering their snow capped sides. The city center was easily recognizable as a large bulge in the skyline where some of the more outrageous architectural designs called home, quickly dropping off into much more mundane buildings that spread out from there to fill up the circular valley that Temple was nestled in, the residential areas occupying the long river basin that extended out from the city. Didact was still looking out the side of drop ship when he saw a group of people running away from the crash site.

"Bring us down! Bring us down!" The pilot's response was instantaneous as the ship suddenly dropped towards the streets below. Knowing this was the last best chance he would have at getting orders out he called up Edos. "Captain, I want the star port and any nearby military bases occupied by Marines, same for the capitol building. The rest are to assist survivors as best they can while repelling the parasite. No retreat, no surrender."

"_Yes sir, the commands will be sent out at once._" By the time they were finished the drop ship had reached the street below, enormous clouds of water and mist billowing into the air as the soldiers jumped out into rippling puddles below. The three lane road was scattered with fleeing survivors, most dressed as if they had yet to return to their homes either from their offices or some form of evening entertainment. Shouldering his rifle, he quickly scanned them for any sort of infection before setting his sights down the street. Those who weren't in shock stopped running and took notice of the heavily armored soldiers and the presence of a Demon.

"It came from up there," a man called out as he motioned to the sky above, his white shirt and dark blue dress jacket splattered in red blood. "It's horrifying what they do to people."

"We know, have you seen any form of local defense? Militia? Police? Anything?" Didact called out over his external speakers, moving towards the suddenly terrified man while the twelve soldiers took up defensive positions on either side of the street.

"N-n-no. Just some people who had their own weapons, but nothing serious or organized." Didact looked away from the man in frustration and saw something move a few blocks away. Dropping his targeting reticule on the shape, he took a split second to confirm it as an infected creature and fired off two shots in quick succession, tearing it into multiple pieces. Looking back to question the man further he saw that he had started running away again.

"Valance, Hall, We're going to hold this position until more troops can land and help us secure the area. This is a three hundred and sixty degree fight, don't get tunnel vision." The soldiers spread out into the three streets they were defending, their rifles trained on the long sight lines. Didact swung his backpack around and grabbed a small metallic orb from it and dropped it from his hand. Before it hit the wet ground, the orb stopped itself and began to emit bright blue light at chest level, quickly booting itself up before a 3D representation of the city appeared. Already other beacons were up and running, drawing together a rough diagram of their perimeter.

"_Attention all units! Attention all units! Immediate assistance to grid eight-zero-five!_" The voice crackled in Didact's helmet as he brought the grid up on the map and checked the distance, noting it was only a few blocks away from them.

"Demon Didact responding, what is their status?" A few tense seconds passed until the command and control ship responded.

"_Victor Squad is in danger of being overrun by hostile forces. Air support is inbound but it's ETA is four minutes which could be too late, please relocate to their position and provide assistance until reinforcements can be brought in_."

"Copy that, relocating now." Didact stood up and got the attention of the two squad leaders and spoke to them over his external speakers. "We're moving to a new location. One of the squads is in danger of being of overrun and we're the nearest support." All of the squad members got off their knees and fell in behind the lieutenants as they moved down to the street to their left, heading west towards Victor squad. The echoes of distant gunshots fell on their ears as they moved down the deserted streets and in between derelict cars parked in slots or in the middle of the street, abandoned by their owners when the parasite landed. A few bright flashes streaked between the buildings and up ahead the block where the soldiers were being assaulted at could be clearly seen. Dancing across the open space between buildings were the shapes of infected citizens while many more darted across the street and into the wide road ahead of them. Tensing up slightly, Didact steadied his rifle and prepared to engage the parasite as they came within two blocks of the landing zone. The entire area was bathed in an odd blue color as the shattered glass reflected the venting plasma from destroyed vehicles littered around the "Y" shaped intersection. Flicking on his high-powered head lamps, the rest of the soldiers did the same and flooded the area with blinding white light, startling the parasite as they scampered across the street. A split second passed before plasma scorched the air and shredded the parasite where it stood. Despite this volley into the grouping, more continued to stream out of the darkness and headed into the open street.

"Lieutenant Hall, take Echo squad and get to the other side of the street," Didact said motioning with his hand towards the opposite side, just before it split into two roads. "Valance and I will move up this side and meet up at their position." He looked around for confirmation and got it in a series of nods from the soldiers surrounding him. "Victor squad, this is Demon Didact, over."

"_Good to hear you voice, sir_," a voice crackled into his helmet.

"Good to hear yours as well. Mark your positions for us and we'll help get you guys out of here." A few seconds passed before a single blue waypoint marker appeared on his HUD, hovering on the fourth story of the corner building in the center of the intersection. Didact took advantage of the lull to quickly survey his surroundings a bit better. "How many are left? Do you have wounded?"

"_Affirmative, three KIA, two WIA. We've only got four guns up at the moment and we're running low on batteries_." Didact was about to give the order to move when his mind stopped.

"Do you have a visual on the three KIAs?"

"_Negative, there was a collapse in one of the stairwells we took to get up and we lost contact with them shortly after."_

"Shit," Didact swore over his external speakers. "Watch your heads, there may be incoming hostile fire. Move down the sides of the street and secure the entrance to the building, we're bringing the dust off right into the intersection. Move out." Hall and his squad sprinted across the street and took cover on the buildings over there while Didact and the others kept a look out. He knew it was only a matter of time until all of the parasites he saw move into the area attacked. Settling up against the wall again, he motioned for Hall to move while his squad set out at the same time, their heads flicking back and forth while their eyes settled on every anomaly they could find.

"_Sir, one of the scanners we dropped is picking up a lot of movement near your position_." Didact pushed the range out on his motion tracker and verified the soldier's claim as red dots moved parallel to their position before stopping, the blips fading away.

"Sergeant, do you have any decoy buoys?" Didact asked as his squad fidgeted nervously.

"_One, sir,_" he replied.

"That's all I need. Deploy it out in the center of the square and cover us as we move in."

"_Copy that_."

"On my mark, get inside the lobby," Didact said, motioning the interior of the mirrored black glass building, most of the panels still intact with a few stray shots spider webbing the glass. "Provide cover for the other squad while Victor helps everyone." Acknowledgement lights winked on inside his helmet and he took a deep breath. "Toss it." His yes caught a small silver orb fly out of one of the windows and roll across the empty sidewalk. Off to their right, in the direction they had just come from, holograms of soldiers appeared and sprinted out into the center of the street. Just as this happened Didact gave the order over their comm channel. All hell broke loose as the parasite swarmed out from windows and rooftops in an attempt to assault the holograms. The mutilated creatures numbered well over a hundred as the Specters unloaded into the mass of green flesh while they still had the element of surprise. Already halfway there, the parasite had just taken notice of what had happened and shifted its attention towards their real prey. Slowing down slightly, Didact swept his rifle across the swarm as chunks of meat, bone, and blood sprayed into the air. Despite his augmented abilities, the parasite was still faster and the fastest ones of the bunch reached the soldiers before they could get inside. Putting his boot into one of their chests, Didact smashed it to the ground while putting a burst into another nearby parasite. Jumping up the final few steps, he primed a grenade and dropped it onto the ground before ducking into the lobby. In a flash of light, fifteen of the infected creatures burned away in an instant while many more wounded ones stumbled and fell to the ground. Unloading indiscriminately into the mass of flesh, the creatures fell to ground on top of each other. "Command and control, what is the status of the air support? We should've expected it by now."

"_Uh…affirmative on that. Should be any moment now sir."_

"Not going to cut it! What's the hold up?" Heat waves were rippling off his entire rifle and the prongs at the end of the rifle were glowing orange.

"_Verified air support is inbound, be sure to outline the perimeter of your zone_."

"We have no zone, all friendlies are inside the building in the center of the intersection. Bring everything can just north of that position."

"_Copy that…relaying now." _Didact shook his head in frustration and gritted his teeth at the same time as the heat from his rifle pushed its way through his left gauntlet, blisters already beginning to form. A few of the soldiers had already abandoned their melting weapons and were firing rapidly with their pistols as the parasite pushed its way through the openings in the glass. Just then a barrage of plasma bolts tore through the rear of the parasite, quickly followed by two deafening and painful explosions of plasma that shattered every pane of glass in the intersection. Despite this barrage, the creatures were still coming at them and were getting ever so close.

At first Didact didn't even see what happened next as bolts of plasma sizzled through the air in the opposite direction. The clacking of armor and a rifle was unmistakable as one of the soldiers fell to the ground screaming in pain. Two wisps of smokes trailed from his chest and stomach area as he writhed in pain on the floor.

"Corpsman! Get on him!" Didact screamed out as he sidestepped over towards the wounded man. Popping the emergency release valve on his helmet, the top decompressed and folded back so that his pain filled face was visible. A young man, his dirty blond hair matted down with sweat, he was grinding his teeth as his face squished together in rhythm with the rest of his body.

"I need you to calm down," the medic said, his voice soothing in the din of war around them. Kneeling down, Didact took the man's hand with his left and squeezed it tight, his right arm outstretched with his pistol trained on the thinning ranks of the parasite. "You'll be fine," the medic said again, opening up his kit next to him. Plugging in a small projector, the soldier's vitals floated in the air above him, reflecting off of their visors in the darkness. Administering a dose of pain medication, the soldier slowed his squirming and opened his eyes a little bit to see around him. Returning his gaze, Didact retracted his helmet and stared back into the man's gray eyes.

"I'm sorry sir; I didn't see them in the group."

"It's not your fault," Didact replied quickly, looking over his shoulder as the fire stopped. "Find those soldiers and get those weapons away from the bodies."

"Soldier, you're going to be ok. The shots were partially resisted by your shields and armor and they avoided your organs, cauterizing as they went in. You're not going to be fighting for a while though, if any of these scabs breaks you'll bleed out." Nodding lazily, the wounded man watched as the Corpsman cleaned the wounds and then wrapped them tightly. "Sir, I want him on the dust off bird and sent back to the_Forseti_."

"Of course, do whatever he needs to get better." Stepping way, he joined a small group of soldiers who were moving through the bodies carefully.

"Look what they did to him," one of them said over his speakers, his rifle barrel resting on the mangled chest piece of an infected Marine. Bones and bulges of muscle had forced their way through the metallic casing and parts of his undersuit, a large tear in his stomach region where they were able to see his mutilated innards. Unlike the rest of the bodies, the soldier's was in relatively good condition and was still easily distinguishable as Forerunner.

"Destroy the armor; we must prevent them from getting our technology as much as possible." Didact's words were cold and hard, even striking a nerve within the Demon's body. A quiet roar came from the distance as the drop ship coming for the stranded squad and wounded soldiers headed in their direction. Sitting out on the corner of the sidewalk were the three wounded men and four squad mates.

"_Sir, I've got some information that's been making its way up the chain of command_."

"Patch it through." The small holographic projector that Didact carried activated on his belt and displayed the city in front of him at waist level. Blobs of heat glowed all around it displaying the general location of large groups of living beings, a large concentration in and around the city center with more spreading outwards in much smaller numbers. "What am I looking at here?"

"_The parasite has begun to retreat; it is amassing around the center towers for some unknown reason. This seems to be similar to what we saw on Sera underneath the surface but just above ground. We're also getting reports that the capitol has yet to be secured by our forces. They've met a lot of resistance on the way to the building but are making headway._" Didact stopped for a minute to think over his options. By not securing the capitol they were risking enormous amounts of information and intel on the Forerunner society falling into the hands of the parasite. On the other hand, whatever they did on Sera they were doing here as well which meant it was important enough to be studied. Looking at the map, he tried to think of a way that they could do both but saw no options at their disposal with the two locations too far way to be assisted at the same time and radioed in for transport.

"_One other thing, the space port has been secured and more troops are en route. But it seems that there were terrestrial craft that were captured by the parasite before we were able to secure the region, and unfortunately we don't have any idea as to their location."_

"We'll deal with that when the time comes, but right now we need a transport to that building."

"_Negative on that sir, all transports have been accounted for at the moment. We have more on the way but they'll be a while before they can arrive at your position_."

"Don't bother, we're running there."


	9. Against the Wall

Chapter 8: Against the Wall

An enormous flash of light illuminated the night sky and reflected off the haze that hung over the city as the clouds that covered the sky earlier melted away to the morning sun. A soft gray light had begun to peak over the tops of the snow covered mountains to the west and was beginning to make its way further up into the sky and down the backside. Up in front of the Demon and his squad was a monolithic building, three pyramids connected by a series of walls that created a much large triangular complex. Towering up into the sky were three obelisks that rose up from the black glass pyramids.

"Quite a building," one of them said as they moved up quietly. Their journey had been uneventful without any sign of parasite, the only reminder of the battle going on were the echoes of rifles firing and the dull thumps of an explosion every once in a while.

"Lieutenant Hargrove, this is Demon Didact, we are inbound to your position coming from the east. Hold your fire."

"_Affirmative sir, it was getting a little lonely in our neck of the woods_." Running the last two blocks to the building, the thirteen Forerunners disappeared into the closest pyramid to them. The inside was an awe inspiring sight with the ceiling vaulting up as natural light barely lit the interior of the lobby, reflecting off of the black marble and gold lining all around. Glowing blue visors slowly materialized from the darkness as the soldiers shut off their cloaking and made their presence known. On the lone reception desk, the two elevator clusters behind it serving as the only interrupters of the otherwise empty interior, were two machine gun soldiers who came into view with the heavy guns trained on the Specters and Honor Guard. The Demon recognized them as also being Specters, their armor out fitted with cloaking devices designating them as an infiltration team.

"Where's Lieutenant Hargrove?" Didact asked as the soldiers stood at the ready.

"Here, sir," he responded as he jogged over quickly, saluting the Demon stiffly. "Sorry for the cold reception, we weren't sure if you were infected or not and didn't want to take the chance of letting the enemy in unimpeded."

"Don't worry about, that was a smart move. But let's get down to business, how's the security?" Didact and Hargrove strode away from their squads and spoke to each other in quiet tones.

"We're spread thin, a few squads have come in since we got here but most were just shells. They'd either gotten split up or they were the only survivors from enemy contact. Right now most of our forces are concentrated in this pyramid as its closest to the city center and it's the easiest to assault. The other two pyramids are fenced in and have large open spaces around them so we've put fewer guys in there. Either way…this place won't last long if we get hit, just too much ground to cover with too few men."

"Alright…what's out there?" Didact asked, dragging his hand across a patch of green that was visible through the rear doors of the pyramid.

"It's a large atrium."

"Move the troops that you've got stationed in the other pyramids into it and have them defend it, we need this area for evac and supply drops. This is also going to be our last stand so let's get all of the entrances to it rigged with explosives."

"Yes sir." Hargrove tilted his head a little bit as he radioed his squad, two soldiers running past them with their backpacks on a few moments later.

"How about snipers?"

"Just one, he's up in this tower," Hargrove said as he pointed with all of his fingers up over their head. Didact nodded and, but Hargrove, sensing something wasn't sitting right with the Demon continued. "Sir, she's one of the best shooters I've ever seen. Could even talk you into a single blade of grass if she had to. She'll keep us covered and watch our backs." The Demon was slightly taken back when he learned the sniper was a female, a rarity within the Forerunner Special Forces let alone being a shooter. Not letting this show, he replied almost immediately.

"You'd better hope so. She's going to be the one holding them off if they hit us." Almost as if on cue a frantic video appeared on the small holographic projector that had been set up.

"_The entire area is crawling with infected! They're guarding something inside but I could only catch a glimpse of it! Looked like some kind of…plant or something like that! Video is being uploaded to command now, but whatever we did has caused the parasite to counter attack with large numbers! Casualties are mounting and we are heading to your location now!"_ The soldier had removed his helmet to film himself, fear spreading across his face as the image jostled back and forth. It cut out as suddenly as it had started while the man's voice echoed around the interior of the pyramid for a little bit before plunging the entire lobby in silence. Even the Demon was unable to respond to what he had just seen and stood next to Hargrove while he steadied his breathing. A rifle clicking was all it took to snap him out of his trance and begin getting ready for what was heading their way.

"Command, redirect all resources to the Temple government building, use my location as a beacon if you need to. Radio all forces and have them fall back to this position as well. Get every Corsair fueled and armed and have every transport ready for immediate pick up. Position as many small tonnage ships into geo-synch with our position, they are free to use precision weapons only, nothing else."

"_Yes sir, orders are being sent ou__t immediately_."

"Mr. Edos, I need you to contact Fleet Command and relay the situation at hand to them. Quarantine the entire planet and prevent anything from leaving the system."

"_Will do, sir.__ But we have a slight problem at hand. We located those terrestrial craft, or at least where they were heading. There was a private spaceport that wasn't listed in our information and before we could react the parasite had jumped out of system in multiple crafts and on multiple vectors."_

"Shit!" Didact screamed into his helmet with both the comm channel and external speakers shut off, but despite this some people glanced over at him for a brief moment as he jerked when screaming.

"_Sir, I've got three hundred Marines inbound to assist in the evacuation.__" _

"Belay that! I will not risk anymore lives to try and take back this city and neither will you. The fleet may provide air support and fire support, but under no circumstances are you to land anymore troops. Is that understood?" A few seconds passed as Didact stood there while the defenders hustled around getting ready. He was about to send the message again when Edos' voice crackled through.

"_Aye…sir_." His voice was pained and tense as he spoke to the Demon. Didact didn't want to continue the conversation and explain himself so he cut the channel and thought about the choice he had just made.

"Lieutenants, may I see you for a moment?" The three officers stopped what they were doing and hurried over to the Demon who was walking towards the center of the elevator columns. Popping the seal of his helmet and pulled it off, resting it underneath his right arm with his rife in the same hand. For a few seconds he let the cool air brush against his sticky face and breathe the unfiltered, metallic tasting air that he had been sucking in since they landed hours earlier. "Take a knee." They all did so and waited for him to speak which he did a few seconds later. "We're the only troops who can hold this position until the rest of the landing force arrives, whenever that may be. I called off three hundred Marines who were on their way here and they would've been our only reinforcements. I'm telling you this because people will be left behind, people will die. It may be you, it may be him, and it very well may be me." As he spoke he pointed to each of them and then looked down at the ground disappointedly. "My hope and wish is that isn't the case but we all know how these things turn out so I'm not sugarcoating anything. Any questions?"

"Sir, we didn't join the military to run away. I think I can speak for all of us that we would gladly sacrifice ourselves for any man, or woman, here." Didact looked at Lieutenant Hall and nodded for a second before letting a smile creep across his face.

"Good to hear it. Now that that is settled…here's how this is going to work. Wounded and non-combat personnel, if there are any, will be the first ones to catch a ride out of here. After that, we'll just assign squads to go based on overall strength."

"Strongest or weakest first?" The Honor Guard, Valance, asked as he shifted to sit on both knees.

"Strongest. I want as many intact units going back up as possible and if we have extra space we'll toss smaller groups on."

"Sir…doesn't that mean you and your men are going to be leaving before the end?" Hargrove asked, not necessarily worried but interested in how it was going to play out.

"No, we'll be staying until the last ride. If we're on it isn't our decision."

"Understood," he replied back. "We haven't lost anyone either sir, but I would like to remain here and assist in the defense."

"It's your decision Lieutenant." Hargrove nodded and Didact was about to continue speaking when someone yelled out to them.

"We've got a visual on the retreating forces!"

"Time to get to work." Slapping his helmet back on there was a comm link waiting for him to accept. "This is Demon Didact."

"_Demon, this is air command. We have fifteen transports on station for you to use for the evacuation and multiple corsair wings_."

"Copy that, the landing zone can only accommodate two transports at a time so they need to be prepared to make multiple runs as well as bringing in supplies."

"_Affirmative.__ Give us the go command when you are ready for the first pickups_." Moving to front of the lobby Didact could see the first few groups of soldiers a handful of blocks away, jogging towards them. By now the sun had peaked over the top of the mountain and was casting long shadows on everything around them but the haze still remained which obstructed their view beyond the group that they could see at the moment.

"I thought there'd be more," someone said quietly as he looked down the length of his rifle, shifting it in his hands. Pacing back in forth in front of the doors, Didact began to wonder if they were all that had survived. Just as he was about to begin drawing up new plans a wall of shadows emerged from the fog and were instantly recognizable as Forerunner soldiers. Instead of the thirty they saw before were now hundreds, running in loose squads and were visibly tired even from this distance. The medics had already begun to get their stations set up as they ran back towards the elevators and dropped their bags to the floor and emptied them out.

"Sniper, can you give me an estimate on the approximate size of the group approaching?" Preparing for a few moments of silence as she counted, he was taken back when her response was almost immediate.

"I estimate the group is around four hundred and fifty to five hundred strong." Didact was momentarily stunned by the beauty of the sniper's voice as she responded to him. Quiet and smooth she sounded confident in what she was reporting and focused on the mission at hand. Shaking away her spell, Didact was disappointed in the numbers as he had hoped for at least twice that. It didn't take long before the entire group was rusing through the lobby doors and then into the open space behind them. All around Didact were panting soldiers who stumbled around as they tried to get their breaths or get a drink of water. All of the injured men were directed towards the medics who were waiting to help out. From a quick glance over everyone who walked past, Didact was glad to see that most of the injuries were, relatively speaking, rather minor as most suffered from a plasma burns or lacerations somewhere on their body.

"Sir, Captain Gordon reporting." Didact turned around after watching the wounded go past and was faced with a soldier saluting him. Returning it, he waited for the officer to speak. "We're all that's left, as far as I can tell. Most of the squads were ambushed as they approached the towers and those outside of the attack were forced to pull back. I can't tell you what happened to those on the other side of the towers as we never made contact with them before it all happened."

"Did you see what was around the towers?"

"Sort of. A lot of the infected were crawling around the outside and inside of the buildings and there were a lot of blobs growing too, but aside from that I couldn't see much of anything. If you can find a survivor from the inside of the ambush they can possibly give you some better information."

"Thank-you Captain Gordon." As the captain ran off to rejoin his men, the other soldiers who were coming in were already getting into defensive position as they ran up the stairs to the offices above their heads. It didn't take more than a few minutes before all of the survivors had filed into the building and were waiting for pick up. "Demon to air command, we are go for pick up."

"_Negative__ on pick up, sir.__ High Command has ordered that all available assets be made available to __pick up high value personnel,__ government members __and a large number of civilian refugees who have taken shelter in the planetary congress. Your present location has been placed directly below them and will be the first to receive assistance as soon as it can be made available. _"

"I am countermanding that order immediately. We can assist in their evacuation if we are moved over there."

"_I'm sorry __sir,__ this order comes from the top. The council __sees it differently and wants this location evacuated first, it's out of my hands_"

"Of course they see it differently… Didact out." Didact was furious at what he heard but it wasn't the time or place to vent. As he set out to alert the officers of this new development, people began to call out that they had hostiles in sight down the street. Moving back up to the lobby doors, he could see that the parasite was making its way towards them. Zooming in with his helmet, the assaulting infected force was just beginning to push through the still dense haze but was already noticeably larger than the defenders. In addition to shuffling across the street, others were leaping from building to building and running across the rooftops. "Sniper, you are weapons free.""_Affirmative_." Didact couldn't hear the shots but could see the thin lances of energy cut into the closest parasites as they came closer, their bodies being torn in half before flopping to the ground.

"All snipers are to move to the highest levels immediately and provide fire support." Didact's order was broadcast to every troop there and he watched as a few snipers scrambled away from the squads they had joined up with and hurried into the stairwell.

"_Sir, I did a preliminary scan of the supplies that we've got with us_." Lieutenant Hall was off to Didact's left where there was a small pile of energy cores and medical supplies.

"How do we look?"

"_Not so good. Based off of what is right here, we'll have a couple of hours of pretty heavy fighting. Assuming people have a spare core or two we should be good for about ten hours, maybe more if we conserve ammo_."

"That's not an option Lieutenant, this parasite isn't going to give us a break."

"_I understand. I'll see what I can __find,__ it's possible there was some ammo for the police stationed here_." Looking back out the lobby doors he could see that the parasite hadn't advanced much beyond where they had been first spotted. Checking the distance on them, they were sitting just outside of the effective range of their rifles and had seemed to stop moving completely. Readying his weapon, Didact moved up to join Lieutenant Hargrove and Valance near the doors, Hall's men with them as well.

"Sergeant Tauer, you have any water?"

"Yeah…" Didact looked over at the two Specters as they conversed with each other and passed a canteen between themselves. It was the eerie silence that unsettled Didact so much, the only sounds coming from their own tense movements

"Air command, do we have air support on station?" The Demon asked into his radio.

"_Affirmative, paint targets and they'll bring in the ordinance_."

"Lieutenant Hargrove, radio your sniper and have her bring in an airstrike on their front line."

"Affirmative. Sierra One, paint lead elements of the enemy force for airstrike… Sir, strike is inbound." Nodding only in response, Didact listened as the fighters came screaming overhead followed by a few seconds delay. Rattling the silence even further were the deafening roars of the plasma bombs detonating just feet above the ground. Hot gases engulfed the parasite as it stood in the middle of the street while the glass around exploded into clouds of razor sharp dust and the buildings crumbled under the might of the explosion. Because the explosions were inside the streets the shockwave was funneled down them and hit the Forerunners with a blast of air. Another strike hit the zone and caused even more damage to the surrounding structures and forced the dust to whip around in the angry and searing hot air that surrounded the impact sites. Another eerie silence fell over the city as the explosions rumbled off against the mountainsides and the buildings around them till the waves finally died off. Didact was unable to see the strike area with his naked eyes and switch over to his thermal imaging which didn't help at all as the air burned a bright white color. Switching back, his vision was met with the sight of the parasite continuing forward, some of the leaders engulfed in bright orange flames as their flesh boiled and blackened from the heat. Didact's range finder pegged them as being within range and he gave the order to fire. Almost in unison the garrison began to fire their weapons into the swarm of infected people. The light show that surrounded Didact was a sight to behold as hundreds of rifles were shooting through holes in windows while the plasma lances cut through the air and tore up the streets in front of them, the air filled with the whining sound of rifles firing on full auto. The volley lasted for almost fifteen seconds before rifles began to discharge built up heat and the targets became scarcer. Despite the heavy fire, the parasite had managed to move almost a block closer to them before the wave had been killed off and yet more remained. Peeking out through the lobby doors Didcat could see that the star had risen into the sky and was glowing brightly through the haze that was slowly burning away. Replacing the hellish volley that they first unleashed was a sporadic and quieter din that picked off the approaching enemies before they got anywhere near their location. Ringing out differently than the normal rifles were the high powered snipers that sat at the top of the building, looking down on the streets below them.

"I thought this was supposed to be easy," someone said in the group around Didact.

"Watch your mouth! You know what these things can do…this is nothing but a probe to see how strong they are," Hargrove snapped back. Didact knew that Hargrove was right and that whatever they had just faced was nothing more than a gentle nudge and a learning experience for the parasite. It now knew that they had air cover, snipers, and a general idea of where their numbers stood. Wishing he hadn't shown his hand so early, Didact scolded himself in his head and prepared himself for the battle they were sure to face.

* * *

The pain of the airstrike on Them washed over the Gravemind as He monitored Their growth throughout the planet. As the minutes passed, more and more of the planet's populace was consumed by Them, adding more and more knowledge and strength to the collective group. But at this moment in time, the Gravemind was only interested in one thing, willing to let His hive have a moment of autonomy while He set about crafting a battle plane to capture the soldiers that had taken refuge in one of the large building complexes in the city. He would not have spent the resources taking it were it not for the knowledge He gained through His ambush. The one referred to as the "Demon" was surely important and would make an excellent addition to His forces not only for his strength but for his knowledge of military tactics and other important information. The Gravemind convinced himself that the losses that were sure to be taken would be offset by the Demons assimilation. Focusing on His troops again, the Gravemind pushed them forward through the lingering gases and superheated air. Despite the losses They had just sustained and the continuing pain, He needed more information on the garrison and how many had survived the battle in the streets. His answer was quickly answered as hundreds of His soldiers fell to a withering fire of plasma. In that instant He retook control of every mind under his control and used Them all at once to come up with a battle plan that would work. Within a split second He had it all worked out and communicated it to the army that He would be using to take the building, allowing those who still remained in the vicinity of the airstrike and building to stay there so that the soldiers would be constantly engaged. 


	10. Guardian Angels

Chapter 9: Guardian Angels

Despite the sun sitting high in the sky above the mountains, the air was still cool and surprisingly clear as the fires had burned themselves out and the smoke had floated away. Many of the windows in the pyramid had been broken from the soldiers taking refuge which let the air in and exposed their breaths whenever the suit expelled the gases. For the past few hours small skirmishers had appeared from buildings and drains near the government complex but were pushed off without much issue. Didact had worried after seeing their emergences that they were in danger of being attacked from within but was quickly reassured when they learned that the complex was separate from the public utilities. Still, their snipers had radioed that they would occasionally catch glimpses of large troop movements in far off streets but were unable to get a look for more than a few seconds.

"It's out there, planning it's attack. I saw the same thing on Sera when we were on the surface as it just surrounded the camp and waited for the perfect moment to strike." Hall was staring out into the streets as they waited for the inevitable to come. Despite all of it most people seemed to be in relatively high spirits even though the prospect of rescue was still unclear.

"Shit! Sir! Heavy inbound!" The street in front of them had once again filled with the parasite as It assembled for attack. More soldiers began to call out from around the building as they spotted more groups forming.

"Sierra One, what's it look like out there?" Didact paced uneasily as everyone suited up for combat, grabbed new energy cores and kicked awake those who were getting quick naps.

"_Tight…I've spotted five large groups of __the enemy__ on each corner of the building in addition to the one located at twelve o'clock_. _Estimated at__ battalion strength__. E__ach_. " All throughout her report the sniper was calm and collected, telling Didact everything as if it was nothing important. Didact was stunned at the numbers he was hearing and he stopped his pacing when she said that. They were looking at four to five thousand of the parasite preparing to assault them at once.

"All units, be prepared for an enemy assault number in the thousands. Spread out and cover all approaches. Aim true, fight hard, show no mercy." People were running all around behind Didact and the others as they prepared for the battle that was about to begin.

"_Sir, air cover is inbound, ETA three minutes."_

"Sierra One, I'm giving you command over airstrikes. Don't be afraid to bring them in close on us." All he got was a small icon that appeared on his HUD indicating she acknowledged his order. "I need to get in touch with the _Forseti_, they need to know what is going on," Didact said, thinking out loud. Nestling up against a pillar he aimed his rifle and opened a comm link to his ship.

"_Sir?_" Captain Edos' voice spoke into his earpiece as the parasite began to move forward slowly.

"Use my transponder as a beacon for pinpoint bombardment; we've got heavy inbound, little air support and no ETA on evac."

"_I heard sir. We managed to keep a few transports from being taken but they were slightly damaged during the insertions last night and still aren't flight ready_."

"The minute one of them is ready to fly get it down here. But in the meantime we need that bombardment with anything you can give us."

"_Affirmative, we're going to have to reposition to use the point lasers which might be a problem. The low orbit airspace is currently crowded from the evacuations._" All around soldiers had begun to fire into the mass of flesh and bone that was the parasite. A single well placed shot was sufficient to take most down while others still clawed forward without limbs or even heads. This time around there were more versions of the parasite present. Waddling around like large sacs with legs attached to the bottom, they had two small tentacles dangling out from the side of their bodies that fluttered as it walked forward slowly. When shot the creatures would fall to the ground before detonating in an explosion of pus and gore that seemed to rival a grenade in strength. Even more interesting, however, was what they carried inside of themselves, fifteen to twenty small bulbs would scramble away from the remaining legs and rush forward through the group and into the ever approaching kill zone.

"Just do it Mr. Edos, we don't have the supplies to hold out forever down here and if I'm going to get these men out alive we're going to have to do it ourselves." Closing the comm channel Didact continued to fire short bursts into the swarm. Off in the distance he heard the quiet rumble of the Corsairs coming in to provide air support before the two finally screamed over and cut back over the city to begin their runs. Attacking the middle and two o'clock columns, their bombs incinerated large groups of the parasite as the plasma licked at its surroundings and the incredible heat caused the air to crackle and shimmer. The shockwaves quickly hit them and hit deep within Didact's chest as he momentarily lost his aim but quickly regained it and continued his firing.

The counter attack by the holed up soldiers and air force continued for a few minutes as they managed to hold off the parasite despite its attempt at swarming them with numbers. Didact had allowed a small amount of hope to seep into his body as the air around them filled with dust and smoke from the strikes. But his hope was misplaced when he saw something shocking. Erupting out of the center column, a miniature sun shimmered into the sky and streaked towards one of the Corsairs as it roared over with guns blazing. Smashing into the hull, the ship was engulfed in a blinding light for a split second. Blinking away the burns on his cornea, Didact watched in horror as the ship spiraled towards the ground with a thick black smoke trail following behind it. Off in the distance he could see a plume of blue lightning and smoke erupt into the sky as the Corsair crashed into the ground and tumbled for a few more blocks before coming to a stop. Almost instantly the volume of fire subsided as people were stunned by the turn of events.

"What the _fuck _was that?!" Didact called out over the radio. Despite knowing what it was, he was more interested in why it had come from the middle of the swarm in front of him.

"_It's a portable AA launcher, single use_." While someone radioed that to him, a request for a private comm channel appeared on his HUD from Sierra One.

"_Sir…there are infected soldiers in the rear of the columns. One of them fired off that shot."_

_"_Infected soldiers?" Didact asked to make sure he was hearing her correctly.

"_Affirmative. More are pouring out of the buildings and filing in behind them. Most still have their armor and weapons._" Confirming her observation was a sudden hail of plasma against the building as the bolts knocked pieces of stone away and melted the glass and metal it impacted. A few shots found their marks as silver shields flared up angrily before fading away when they had fully charged. Didact, who had been hedging out away from the pillar he had chosen as his cover ducked back next to it and pressed his back up against it, his head peaking out over his left shoulder so that he could still see the streets. Taking his backpack off, he dropped it to the ground and removed a small silver device and set it on the ground while he swung his pack back onto him. The attachment for his rifle was about six inches long and was an oval shape with space on the top to fit into the bottom energy pylon on his rifle. A relatively large hole was situated near the bottom of the device's front that cut three-fourths of the way into the attachment. It mated with a small port on the bottom of the rifle that caused the inside of the cylinder to glow a faint blue color. Sliding down on the pillar he was up against, he braced his legs by spreading them further out and twisted his torso so that his arms and head were exposed but nothing else. Looking into the parasite in front of him, he scanned to his left a little and saw a few abandoned vehicles parked in front of one of the office buildings. Tapping two commands on the small screen located just above the trigger on the right side of the weapon, he pulled the trigger and waited for two seconds as the attachment hummed loudly. Jerking backwards, a blast of plasma siphoned off from the rifle's fuel cell lept from the under slung grenade launcher and sped out towards the cars. It impacted on the first car and detonated instantly in a wash of blue flames that tore apart anything nearby. A few seconds later the fuel cell within the car he shot detonated with a muffled thud before shredding a huge section of the column with shrapnel as the car tore itself apart. Starting a chain reaction, the two cars exploded too causing even more carnage within the suddenly depleted mass of infected.

"Nice one, sir," Lieutenant Hargrove said as he deactivated his cloaking for a few seconds.

"Maybe it'll make them think twice about coming closer." Switching back to his normal fire mode he kept firing into the swarm as they drew ever closer, hundreds of dead lying in the street as the parasite continued to press forward. The closest one of the infected had gotten was little more than a half a block away and it had been quickly shredded by a withering volley of fire directed at it. As the infected civilians were killed off, the soldiers in the rear were able to get clearer lines of fire on the pyramid. Behind them, a few moaning soldiers were brought to the triage area for wounds. Glancing at them Didact could see that blood had stained their armor a crimson color and was dripping on the rich stone floor as they were carried to the medics. Looking back at the streets and then towards the wounded soldiers, he knew they needed to be moved. Dashing over there he found the corpsman who had taken to organizing all of their efforts. "We need to move these men to the highest levels of the building. This area will be the first to be hit if the parasite gets too close." The soldier looked at the fifteen or so men who were sprawled out on the floor receiving medical attention. Most of them were awake and alert with only local antiseptic while a few others had been completely sedated for their pain. Away from the rest were three soldiers who were being operated on, the medics leaning over their open bodies as they rushed to save organs and prevent blood loss.

"Sir, can you give me a few minutes to evaluate each man? Some of them cannot sustain anymore trauma than they have or they risk complete system failure." The medic adjusted his helmet which was still on, unlike the others, his hands leaving bloody marks on top of an already caked layer that had painted his armor.

"When you're ready, radio me." Heading back to the front of the building it was immediately noticeable that the volume of fire had increased dramatically. No longer moving in a solid group, the infected soldiers had now spread out and moved about quickly, firing their rifles into the building. More worrying was that some disappeared into a building on the side of the street and didn't come back into view.

"_Sir, you might want to see this_." Sierra One's voice cut into his helmet as he fired into the approaching soldiers, some with still working shield generators. A small window appeared on his HUD and he opened it up, a semi-translucent video playing over his vision. A few seconds passed before he realized that he was viewing the same street through her helmet camera. There wasn't any sound from the video feed but she quickly began to narrate what he was seeing, her rifle occasionally coming into view as she continued to fire. "_The entire city is mobilizing and heading towards us_." Panning up a little bit, Didact could see thousands of infected moving about in the city as they jumped about on the sides of buildings and down the streets. Even with the single Corsair still doing gun runs (from a much higher altitude) the parasite had managed to move in to within fifty yards at some points.

"Where is our orbital support…," he said to himself. More soldiers rushed forward down the streets while their comrades provided what looked like covering fire. Didact's only emotion was that of disappointment. Disappointed in himself that he was unable to keep his men alive or even rescue a few so that they could fight another day. He tried to open a comm link to the _Forseti_ but an error message popped up alerting him to a jammer being activated somewhere within the city. All they could use were their shortwave channels between squads. Resigned to this, he rejoined his squads at the front door and began firing.

* * *

"Sir…I've got bad news…" Captain Edos turned around from the command panel and looked at the weapons technician who had pushed away from his station and was turned towards the officer.

"What is it?"

"There's too much variation at our current altitude. If we fire…anything, it's likely that the shot will deviate during its duration and may very well hit the building they're in. We've got to get closer if we're going to try and provide support." Edos nodded and turned back to the view port in front of him. Corstun dominated the view as it floated in space, the star to their backs. Shimmering in the immense light of unprotected space was the Forerunner battle group, their orbits spread out on multiple tiers. Sitting in the middle of the fleet, the _Forseti_ was easily recognizable as it dwarfed the next largest ship.

"Calculate where we need to be in order to get clear shot with the smallest chance of hitting the pyramid."

"Sir," the tech responded as he spun back towards his console and furiously typed in coordinates and commands.

"Navigation, break orbit and prepare to reposition the ship."

"Aye sir," they both responded and the ship's gravity shifted momentarily as they broke off of the holding pattern and headed towards the surface.

"I've got the location; coordinates are being transferred to navigation now." On the screen, the point appeared in space as a small orange triangle with small text and numbers sitting around it. It wasn't what he wanted to see. The ships that were participating in the evacuation had stationed themselves just over the city so that the transports would have the shortest possible trip. Edos knew that even if they could manage to get a new firing solution that would be safe, the transports were moving back and forth in the space they were shooting through. Pulling on his face with his hands, the Captain paced slightly trying to come up with a new plan. As the _Forseti_continued moving towards Temple, Edos ordered them to stop.

"But sir, we're right in the middle of a flight path."

"I don't care, they can move around us. Engineering, this is the bridge. What is the status on those birds?"

"_We have five ready to fly. They'll need some work pretty soon but they'll do the job well enough."_

"What about the others?" The sound of tools being used came through the speakers before the engineer spoke.

"_One is on its way to be airborne again but we had to cannibalize parts off of the others to get the others working._" Edos pounded his fist on the railing the in a mixture of approval and excitement. Pursing his lips as he did this, he began to work a plan out in his head.

"Have them ready and fueled to take off. I only want enough crew members on board to fly it and shoot, nothing more. We're going to do a hot drop."

"_Sir, I don't think they'll be able to handle it. They can do atmosphere, space, and atmosphere to space but I can't see them surviving reentry_."

"I was referring to us. I want the _Forseti_ to go to the surface and provide close support for the troops on the ground." The bridge was silent as he said this, the quiet thrumming of the engines the only noise. "It's doable with a ship this size, it's been done before, and we're doing it now. Prepare us for entry." Everyone on the bridge set about getting the ship ready as hatches were sealed and the shields were powered up on the bottom to take the brunt of the forces. Edos sat down in the chair in front of the command station and watched as the ship pushed itself towards the surface. "Once we've entered the atmosphere I want the transports launched and send them towards Temple."

"Aye sir," the air traffic controller responded as he keyed in the order. Gripping the armrests tightly Edos felt a few pangs of anxiety as the two noses tipped upwards and the rear slid down, a shimmering blue ocean still visible between the split hull. The engines roared loudly for one last minute as they forced the_ Forseti_ into Corstun's gravity well before shutting off while the planet took care of the rest. Starting with a slight rattle, it continued to grow as flames licked at the leading edges of the ship before spreading to the rest of the hull. Long streamers of plasma trailed behind them from the air resistance as they tore further and further into the atmosphere, the shaking growing even more violent.

"All systems check. Hull integrity is at one hundred percent. Shield output holding steady." Listening as the vitals were rattled off, Edos calmed down as much as he could while the _Forseti_ plummeted to the surface. "We've just entered the atmosphere."

"Good."

"Should I launch the transports?" Looking out the view port, the ship was still engulfed with flames and plasma from their descent velocity. Adding to it all was an enormous plume of smoke and steam that emanated from the entire hull as the metal hit the cooler air. A muffled roar echoed throughout the ship as the wind whipped off the edges of the hull, sonic booms rippling off every few seconds.

"Yes. Fire reverse thrusters and deploy all flaps. We made it this far, let's make sure we can live to tell the story," Edos said with a quick laugh.

In the hangar, the five transports were hovering over the deck waiting to be given the go code. Without a word, the hangar door slid open allowing the flames to lick at the exposed shield while it flashed in protest. The pilots didn't think too much of the side effects of reentry due to their experience, but none of them had flown through it into normal air.

"_Go! Go! Go!_" Throttling their engines to full power, the transports strained impatiently on the magnetic locks that held them near the floor. Punching the release, the five black craft sped out of the hangar and into the hellish wash rippling off the bottom of the hull as it glowed a bright orange. Smashing into the turbulence like a brick wall, the transports were tossed around like toys while the pilots struggled to gain control of them. Spinning side to side, the engine pylons snapped to the opposite side as fast as possible in order to counter. Inside of the cockpits the displays flashed a blood red color and alarms blared angrily, displays showing their orientation to the ground swirling incomprehensibly. Behind the transports the _Forseti_ continued its plummet towards the surface, the thick gray smoke lingering behind it as it burned a scar in the planet's sky.

"Thrusters coming online now." With a jolt, the enormous boosters situated vertically at points throughout the underside of the hull came online and burned at full power. Ten large but focused jets of almost white hot plasma cut through the still burning wake underneath them and struggled to slow the hulking ship down. A final series of sonic booms rippled across the bow as the ship vaporized a wispy white cloud it blew through.

"Why aren't the flaps deployed yet?" Edos asked as they continued to drop, his stomach registering a decrease in speed.

"We're still traveling too fast, if we deploy them now they'll tear off."

"Maneuver us to put more drag on the hull."

"Aye sir," the port side navigator said. Edos felt the g-forces against his body as the nose pointed down more, the shaking returning with even more ferocity.

"Below the threshold, deploying now." All over the ship, flaps of all different sizes snapped up off of the hull and dug into the rushing air around them. Enormous wings lifted off in the rear section exposing the ugly innards of the engines and reactor units housed there. The sudden drag was felt instantly as the lumbering ship slowed its plummet through the atmosphere towards the rapidly approaching ground. "Firing main engines now. Begin maneuvering towards the city?"

"Affirmative."

* * *

Rumbling towards the building, the sonic booms slammed into their chests like a punch. A few panes of glass broke around them while the rest rattled and warped before going back to normal. Ignoring all of this Didact whipped between targets as the parasite continued to move in closer, the closest landing just feet from the doors. Looking out, the parasite continued its relentless march forward whil a few jumped up out of side, presumably onto the side of the building before sliding back down to the ground dead. An incoming hail of plasma missed Didact but landed a direct hit onto one of the Specters who materialized out of thin air. Everything seemed to happen in slow motion as the soldier crumpled to the ground, a cloud of blood behind him. Didact instantly recognized the man as Lieutenant Hargrove. Running through the stream of plasma, he slid on a knee towards the wounded man and used his body as a shield while he took Hargrove's helmet off. Blood was dribbling out of the Lieutenant's mouth as his eyes, full of fear, locked onto Didact. Everything seemed to stop as the two looked at each other, tears streaking down Hargrove's cheeks as he coughed up more blood. His lips moved slowly, formed the words "I'm sorry" before reaching down to his right wrist. Attached to it was an energy sword projector. Releasing the couplings on it, he removed the thin device and handed it to Didact, the pain of the effort showing on his face. Taking it, Didact nodded and hooked it onto his left arm to compliment the one he already had. Watching as the Lieutenant's eye lids drooped a little and the blood slowed, he knew the man had died. Placing a gauntlet on his chest, he closed his eyes with his other before standing up.

"Abandon the first floor! Secure all entrances to the rest of the building!" People called out confirmations as they backed up towards the doors and stairwells to the high levels of the building. Tossing his rifle to the floor, he activated both swords at once. The two blasts of blue energy erupted from the projectors and coalesced into solid blad that crackled in the cool air. Moving slowly back, the parasite rushed through the doors and into the lobby.

"_Should we blow the charges?_" Someone called out over the radio.

"Negative, wait till more of them are inside." The last of the soldiers retreating passed him by with some of the infected just a few yards from him. Looking at them up close, he could see their innards slosh around and their armor swing back and forth loosely on the disfigured bodies. Some of them were so mutilated that he was able to see the parasite inside of their bodies, deflated so that it could fit easily. The first enemy to fall to his blades was a former soldier who lunged across the lobby at him. In a single graceful move he brought his right arm above his head and stepped forward, plunging both blades deep into its flesh. As he withdrew them they cracked and sizzled as the blood and meat evaporated from the heat. More of the parasite came at him as he moved back towards the stairwell and he cut each one down with poetic swipes of the two blades. Glancing back quickly, he saw that the door was just a few feet away and hopped back through the frame, bringing the parasite to a bottle neck.

"Sir! Duck!" Without asking why, he dove to the side and watched as a concentrated wall of plasma cut through the doorway and into the parasite that had huddled in front of it. Kicking it shut with his foot, he deactivated the swords and got to his feet.

"Blow the charges," he radioed. A few seconds later, they went off all along the entrances to the building. Listening to the sound of glass, metal, and stone fly around the bottom floor, he looked back at his saviors who were all huddled on the stairs with their rifles still glowing. Lieutenant Hall gave him a two handed salute. Nodding in thanks, he removed a carbine from its magnetic grip on his back and made his way up the stairs.

"_This is Star-Three-Five to Demon Didact, over_." The voice in his ear startled Didact as they ran up flight after flight of stairs.

"Affirmative this is Didact."

"_We're here to pick you up, courtesy of Captain Edos and the crew of the Forseti. Quite a mess you've got on your hands._" Didact couldn't help but laugh at the pilot's comments in conjunction with the twang in his voice.

"Copy that, tell us where you can get us and we'll be waiting for you." Bursting out onto one of the middle floors, Didact was amazed at the amount of infected that surrounded them. All around the parasite swarmed towards the building as troops valiantly tried to fend them off. Some were unable to dodge the incoming fire and fell to the ground screaming while their squad mates rushed to help them. Hovering around the building in a circular pattern, the five transports were letting loose with everything they had. Plasma turrets mounted in the compartment bay and beneath the hull glowed angrily while hanging point-lasers sliced through the parasite with their long golden beams of energy. Off in the distance Didact saw a long black smoke trail streaming from the heavens to the surface but he didn't have time to entertain it's source. Firing off his carbine at a parasite that had broken through one of the windows, the short burst tore its chest apart before it fell back through the empty pane.

"_If you and your men can get high enough, we can bring one of the transports in close enough to the building for them to jump into._" Looking around at who was on the floor, it was obvious that they had lost almost half of the men they started with, bodies strewn everywhere on the blood drenched floor.

"We'll do our best; it's a hell of a fight down here." Relaying the order, they rushed back into the stair well to head up to the highest levels. Reaching them, the cubicles of the lower floors were replaced with rich offices that limited their maneuverability. Smashing into one, the wooden walls torn apart from stray shots, he smashed the window out and looked down the side of the pyramid.

"_If that's you peaking your head out the window, that's good enough for us._" Looking out, one of the transports stopped its pattern and slid over towards the building. Didact stepped back and waved towards the soldiers to get on it.

"Star-Three-Five, myself, Lieutenant Hall and his squad in addition to Lieutenant Valance will be on the last bird out. Any other stragglers will be coming with us as well."

"_Affirmative sir. You'll be in good hands_." Looking out over the skyline as soldiers piled onto the transport, it's engines at low power, he was about to turn away when something shimmered in the distance. Zooming in with his visor he had a hard time believing what it was that he saw. Flying towards them was the _Forseti_ in all of her majesty. He tried to hold back a smile but it was unable to as he cracked up laughing. As others saw what it was that he was looking at they cheered and hollered as the enormous craft lumbered towards them.

Didact remained with the other squad, defending the floor as the parasite swarmed it, holding it off long enough for the others to get onto transports. Peaking back, he saw that the _Forseti_ was almost upon them which meant that heavy fire support was almost upon them. Only a few seconds later, the heavy booming of their smallest cannons echoed in the valley as the plasma bolts smashed into the buildings and streets around them tossing dirt and metal into the air in enormous plumes. Small barrages of their AA cannons shredded the parasite closer to the building to take the load off of the defenders inside. Taking another quick peak, he got a better look at his ship as it maneuvered directly above them. The entire bottom side was burned and covered in soot from the reentry, the leading edges glimmering in the light as the heat and friction tore off all of the paint from the metal beneath. A low rumble permeated the building as its engines idled to maintain altitude, an occasional increase in volume as it made slight adjustments.

"_We're going to drop off our loads. You're going to be on your for a few minutes sir_."

"Copy that." Looking in the offices around them Didact only counted about seventy soldiers remaining which meant the transports would only need to make one more trip. The lack of close fire support was immediately noticeable as the parasite quickly swarmed up the sides of the building towards their position. And while the Forseti could take care of the infected on the streets and in the buildings surrounding them it was unable to bring fire down on the building itself. Shooting out of the windows, the small group of soldiers frantically held off the parasite while the first transports made their way back to the building. Following behind them were squadrons of Corsairs who quickly provided even more firepower. In all of the commotion Didact had forgotten about Sierra One who had been providing support for them the entire time. "We're evacuating now, get down here ASAP!"

"_Negative, sir. The parasite has come over the top of the building and is making its way down towards you_." Looking up, he confirmed her observation.

"We're not leaving you behind, you understand that?" All he got in response was an acknowledgment icon on his HUD. As the transport came in towards the building, its point-laser cut across the top of the pyramid, killing the parasite above them.

"_We can't get in there without risking contamination_," radioed the pilot, his voice more solemn than before. Trying to think about his options, Didact ran to the other side of the floor and looked down at the atrium below. Even though it was full of the parasite, a few shots from his ship's smaller batteries would clear the entire area out. Radioing his order to the pilot, he waited for a response from the bridge. Because of the jamming still going on, he had to rely on the drop ships to relay his message to the ship and then wait for them to come back down to him.

"_Green light, take cover 'cause there's a heavy barrage coming in on the center._" Four dull thumps echoed across the city as the rounds came in towards the building. Vaporizing the other two buildings and grass in between them, the parasite was thrown into the sky or incinerated by the plasma. Ordering everyone out, he waited for a sizable portion to go down before going himself. Running down the support beams that crisscrossed the building, he continued to fire as the parasite reeled from the blasts. Roaring past them, two of the drop ships came in low and kept the landing zone clear as the first soldiers hopped in and went back to firing. The other three continued to circle overhead to provide fire support while the initial pick up took back off and were replaced by two others. Reaching the bottom of the building, he ran across the few remaining feet of clear grass before coming into the overturned dirt of the craters. The rest of his men circled around him while the two transports filled up and took off into the air. Scanning the ground around him, his heart raced as the parasite pushed in towards them. Something caught his eye and he looked up at the top of the building where shots kept flashing in the shadow of the tower. Aiming his carbine, he sent a burst towards the base of it where some of the infected were beginning to climb it.

"Sierra One, why haven't you left?!" Didact yelled into his radio. Receiving no response he was about send another message when the transport landed behind them, tossing dirt into the air in great swirling clouds of brown. A strong hand grabbed the neck of his armor and he got up to his feet, his stare stuck on the tower as more and more of the parasite swarmed up it and into the small place where the sniper had been perched. Gliding up the gravity lift, he was plunged into darkness as the doors closed on either side of him. Falling to the deck with Hall, Valance and their squads he began to weep silently as the transport lifted up into the air. A few seconds later and they had landed in the hangar bay of the _Forseti_. Walking out of the transport, he moved away from the other soldiers and walked towards the enormous shield doors that made up part of the hangar walls. Staring down at the city below him, he tried to comprehend what had happened in the frantic minutes of their escape. Engulfed in flames, smoke, and dust, the pyramid still stood strong in the failing afternoon light. Popping off his helmet and dropping it to the floor, he watched as a barrage slammed into it and destroyed it with a single hit, the glass and metal tossed into the air hundreds of feet up. His thoughts inevitably drifted to all of those that had died, lingering longest on Sierra One who had served as their guardian angel yet he never saw her face or learned her name. He knew the trip home would be long enough for him to learn about those that he had fought with. Picking up his helmet, he walked away from the shields as the blast doors closed in front of them while the ship prepared for a Slipspace jump. Despite his presence on board, he was not yet ready to assume command of it yet.


	11. Halo

Chapter 10: Halo

The acceleration into Slipspace was seamless to those inside the ship who felt nothing as the _Forseti_ nudged itself into the fine tear in space and time. The same wasn't true for anyone still remaining in the city as a shockwave of blinding white light tore buildings apart bolt by bolt and the ground buckled and gave way as the mountains were stripped bare in a single moment. It was so large and so bright that the explosion could be seen from space by the ships hanging in orbit. None of it mattered though as the planet would be soon turned into nothing more than a broken and shattered shell of its former self, the plasma bombardment annihilating everything on the surface. Didact stood in silence in the elevator as it sped to the top of the ship, his thousand mile gaze warning people who stepped on with him that they weren't to expect a salute. Most conversations stopped when they saw him as groups of junior officers and enlisted played with their lips until their ride was over. After a few minutes he finally looked away from the metallic doors in front of him and in the low saw that his armor and helmet were coated in a green and red blood, a small splatter across his visor that he had never noticed before. Thoughts and images of the mission rushed through his mind like paper in the wind as they came and went randomly, the images of the dead soldiers seeping into the back of his head despite his best efforts. The elevator finally stopped at his level and he stepped out as the three doors slid apart in a triangle pattern. The level he was on was reserved exclusively for cabins for the highest ranking officers on the ship which meant it was rarely travelled and always quiet. His quarters were just as he had left them when he left for the surface hours earlier, the lights low as it stood in the center of the room waiting for the door to close. Walking behind his desk he opened up the wide port behind it and looked out into the inky blackness of Slipspace, and once again his thoughts began to run rampant and couldn't be reined in.

After storing his armor away, Didact changed into his exercise uniform which consisted of a pair of long black pants and a black and red sleeveless shirt that was pulled tight against his body. Sitting in his chair he slumped down as the projectors warmed up and waited for him to log in. Leaning down to the bottom right drawer of his desk he opened it up and pulled out a small glass bottle and cup. Identifying himself, the computer's desktop appeared in the air as he contemplated pouring himself a glass to drink. Placing his feet on the table, he finally relented and put a quick dash of the clear liquid into the glass and held it in his hand.

"Search Lieutenant Hargrove."

"_Demon, do you believe it's a good idea to be doing this_?" The AI's voice was quiet and reserved as she spoke to him.

"I need to know…"

"_There is a difference between knowing and wallowing_." Didact knew that what she was saying was true. Setting the glass down, he rolled his tongue in his mouth for a few seconds.

"Search Lieutenant Hargrove." The search appeared on his desktop and he waited for a few seconds as the database brought up his information. Hargrove's image appeared alongside his service record, Didact immediately noticing that the photo seemed to be a few years older compared to what he saw when he met the man. "Squad information please." Tabbing over, ten men were listed as being under his command and he scanned each one before finally letting his eyes rest on the last name. Sergeant Sarah Arvul, Sniper. A sudden urge to bring up her file was quenched and Didact put his head back against the soft padding of the chair and looked to the ceiling. Unable to resist, tears began to stream down his cheeks as he cried. His shoulders heaving, he dropped his feet to the ground and put his head into his hands and let his anguish and exhaustion flow out of his body. It lasted for about a minute before he got control of himself and took a few deep breaths. Wiping the tears off of his cheeks, he collected the fluid that had built up in his mouth and spit it into the glass.

Waking up with a jolt, Didact lifted his body off of the soft cloth couch that was to the side of his desk and held himself up with his arms. The grogginess quickly disappeared as he looked around the room and saw that no one was in it, but when he glanced out of the window he saw thousands of small points of light staring back at him, a few larger objects moving between them. A soft double tone played through hidden speakers and a voice quickly followed.

"_Sir, we've left Slipsp__ace and have arrived at Shi-Kai_."

"Please take us in to dock; I'll be on deck in a few minutes." Didact had no qualms about letting the young Captain taking command of his ship, he knew it was only a matter of time before the fleet reassigned him to his own ship and it'd be in every ones best interests for him to have as much experience as possible. If his actions during the previous battle were anything to go by, he was already well prepared.

"_I'm sorry, but there's more_." Edos stopped for a second before continuing. "_The council has demanded an immediate audience with you and I_."

"This is ridiculous…" Didact said under his breath, getting up off of the couch.

"_No specifics were given; they only stated that they would like to _review _the events on Corstun in person_."

"I'm sure. Put us into orbit and prepare a transport with escorts, we won't want to keep the council waiting."

* * *

Back in his armor, Didact walked through the same hangar that had been used to launch the ill fated invasion of Temple as well as being the refugee point for those lucky enough to be evacuated. A few spots on the deck were still covered in blood from the wounded but they were being cleaned up as he arrived at the transport, two Corsairs waiting on either side. Lieutenant Valance and his squad were arranged behind Captain Edos who had managed to change into his black dress uniform. Saluting sharply, Didact returned it and looked over the Honor Guard Marines' uniforms and saw that, like his, they had not had time to clean the grime of battle off of the black metal plating. They all wore their helmets but as he walked past he could feel their gaze before they followed him into the transport.

"Seems I've under dressed, sir," Edos commented with a slight chuckle as he straightened out his jacket and adjusted the medals and ribbons on it.

"I'd like the council to see what it is that we had to go through down there."

"I understand."

"War is a game to most of them, very few have ever served in the military, let alone see combat." As Didact spoke the transport lifted into the air and flew out of the hangar. "They won't understand what happened on the surface and don't expect them to listen to what you have to say." The Captain nodded but didn't say anything. After a few minutes of silence, Didact finally spoke again, his voice low so that it was almost inaudible. "Why did you come for us?" Their eyes locked in the darkness and they stayed together as Edos formulated an answer in his mind. The first to look away, he glanced at the Marines behind him before meeting their eyes again.

"You're our commander; you've never left a man behind, and have always put your men before you. It's only fair that someone return the favor." Didact's face was unmoved when he heard the Captain say this to him. Something had changed inside of him but he didn't know what it was or what had caused the change. Nodding ever so slightly, the transport remained silent for the rest of the trip.

Feeling the ship slow down, they turned towards the starboard door and waited for it to open. As it lifted up, Didact could see that the storm had yet to pass and was still covering the city in a thick gray haze. Stepping down onto the rain soaked landing pad, his armored boots splashed water into the air around him. Letting the droplets stream down his head and neck, he watched as Edos stepped gingerly towards a dry section in order to prevent his uniform from getting wetter than it had to. While slightly amusing, the Demon understood that Edos still had to maintain a certain image if he was to receive a promotion to flag rank within the Navy. Looking out across the narrow walkway that connected the circular landing pad, he could see that a group of soldiers had formed on the other side of the doors and few civilians stood in front of them. The Marines stepped onto the platform and quickly formed two rows of four men that followed Captain Edos who in turn followed the Demon. Walking briskly, they reached the door within a few seconds as it opened silently when they walked near, the civilians watching him the entire time.

"Sir, the council wants to see you immediately," the man in the front said, stepping forward in his gray suit.

"I received the message." His terse response made the man who seemed to be in his mid-forties, his black hair beginning to lighten at the roots, twitch his head in a slight show of annoyance. Stepping past him, the soldiers inside of the hall slapped their rifles to their chests and stood at attention. At least a hundred lined either side as he made his way down the dimly light hallway, a single enormous door illuminated at the end where two guards stood on either side. Moving between alternating light and shadow he clenched his jaw slightly, aware of all of the faces that were tracking his every movement. An odd thought entered his mind and he wondered to himself who they would side with if he did something wrong. Stowing it away in the back of his mind he arrived at the door and waited for the three metal plates to slide away from each other, groaning loudly as the mechanisms strained under the weight. Didacts eyes adjusted to the dark light as he took a few steps forward before listening to the doors close behind him. All around monitors glowed in the dark, illuminating the faces of the person sitting behind them as every one of them turned to face the group who had entered the chambers. Sloping downwards, the row of steps led to a small area at the bottom that itself led to dais in the center that was raised into the air so that it was at the same level as the lowest level of councilors, the circular platform illuminated in blue-green light from underneath.

"I'm glad you could make it on such notice. We're aware you were…occupied elsewhere." The elderly voice echoed throughout the entire, High Councilor Hoyt's voice instantly recognizable. Ignoring his subtle dig that served as a harbinger for what was to come; Didact nodded once and made his way down the steps to the small seating area at the bottom reserved for those who would be questioned. Situated in an elongated crescent, Didact and Edos sat next to each other while the Honor Guard remained at attention behind them against the wall and waited for the Council to address them. Looking up, Hoyt could be seen sitting at the top of the council seat positions, the rest falling away from him which made the terraces look like part of a mountain. "I was surprised when I get a message this morning that stated our best Demon had left for Sera, especially when there was already a Demon on station and in command of the forces there. I think I speak for all of us here that that behavior isn't typical seen coming from someone in your position." Hoyt paused for a few seconds as his voiced echoed around in the chambers and into the darkness above them. "I won't deviate from our format any longer, Demon Didact, please step forward." Obeying, Didact placed his helmet on the table in front of him and walked onto the dais and stood in an almost defiant stance with his arms at his side and his legs spread a little wider than normal.

"Demon Torval was commanding the fleet above Sera, was he not?" one of the councilors asked.

"That is correct; Demon Torval was chosen to command the fleet."

"Is it unusual for a fellow Demon to come into the same area of operations as another Demon?" the same man asked, obviously leading Didact somewhere.

"It is not a rare occurrence, if that is what you are implying. Many operations are conducted with the coordination of multiple Demons, often times resulting in much more efficient executions of an operation." Because of the speakers and the darkness, Didact was unable to locate who it was that was asking questions of him which seemed like a deliberate maneuver to throw the person being questioned off balance. To counter this he continued to scan his interrogators, not focusing on any one person for an extended amount of time.

"Is this one of those operations?" a new voice asked.

"In terms of the theater size? Not usually."

"Then why were you compelled to jump to the planet and assume control? Our records indicate that you made your departure after your petition to commence orbital bombardment was denied."

"I disagree with that statement." Didact wasn't willing to allow them to get the upper hand and throw records at him.

"You are saying our records are false then?"

"I'm simply saying that they are being taken out of-," his protest was cut short.

"The fact of the matter is this, you have left two planets burning in your wake and the parasite is still not quarantined."

"The Demon followed accepted protocols for eradicating a Flood infested biosphere." The female voice stopped Didact's heart dead, a silence that weighed on everyone as it continued. Hoyt finally interrupted the stalemate with his soft and raspy voice.

"Please seal all exits, no one is to enter or leave until I give the order. Is that understood?" All of the lights surrounding the doors shifted from a soft blue hue to an angry red glow while they locked themselves. "I see Princess Tyro has taken this conversation to somewhere we hadn't planned on going."

"We have never dealt with an outbreak this large or on this scale before. The Flood is highly adaptive and is can bind itself to almost any living organism that has a central nervous system and can house the infection form. Had he resorted to selective targeting it is possible the parasite might've avoided elimination and would reproduce in another populated location." The Demon turned around slowly, following the voice of his wife. Located in the row just above Didact and Edos, she was standing her arms crossed at the wrists over her waistline, her light gray lab coat unbuttoned revealing a tight blue blouse that left the top two clasps unclipped, revealing a small portion of the top of her immaculately tanned chest. A black skirt sat on her waist, partially obscured by the un-tucked shirt, and extended down below the wall in front of them and obscured the rest of the vision of her. Tyro's dirty blond hair was pulled straight with a slight hint of curls at the bottom which fell on her chest cleanly. The entire time she refused to look at her husband who was still slightly in shock at her being present at the questioning. "The more pressing question is why was the Flood being contained on a research facility not located on a Halo. Without the proper security grid in place, something like _this _happens." Tyro motioned angrily with her right arm when she said this. "Didact did nothing wrong in destroying Sera and Corstun."

"Be that as it may, that does not excuse his actions before that and reflects poorly on his ability to analyze a situation critically. What he did endangered the lives of thousands and wasted the lives of hundreds."

"Your hands are just as dirty, High Councilor. The ground forces requested an immediate evacuation from the Temple government building and were denied in favor of civilian forces to the south. Had we received the assistance that we requested those men and women would still be alive." Didact's voice was eerily calm as he spoke to Hoyt who looked down at him with disdain.

"Pending a full investigation, you are hereby suspended from active duty operations. Dismissed."

* * *

"Per suspension regulations you must hand over all weapons save your side arm." Standing in a small, dimly lit room, Didact was flanked by two armed guards who refused to take their gaze off of him. On the other side of a small table, a civilian sat in a chair with his hands and fingers weaved together. Wearing a sharply pressed black suit indicative of an upper-mid level official, the man looked like he was in his late twenties or early thirties, and his hair was cut close to his head and styled with a liberal amount of gel. Didact relented for a few seconds before he began to unhook the energy sword off of his right arm. While he did this, the official pulled a small box out from the floor and placed it onto the table, sliding a single tablet out of the way before he opened the crate. "Any of your weapons on you will be locked in this box until the suspension has been lifted. You will be allowed to maintain possession of it however, and in case of an emergency that requires you to carry anything more than your sidearm, the lock will be removed. Your ID has been marked in the databases and any rifle you pick up will not be activated." Nodding, Didact placed the two swords onto the table, his hand lingering on Lieutenant Hargrove's sword a little longer than the other one as he slid them towards the official. "While you are suspended from participating in operations, you will still have your normal access level and may be present during any briefings or relays of missions. You won't have to worry too much about doing something you shouldn't, the computer will stop you." The entire time, Didact seemed to be spacing out, his eyes glazing over as they wandered around the room. "Do you have any questions?"

"No."

"Alright, just sign here and you can be on your way."

* * *

Didact sprinted down the empty streets as fast as his legs could carry him, his lungs screaming at him for reprieve. His feet splashed through puddles around him in the dimpled concrete road, but when he stopped for a second he looked into the liquid and could see that it was blood, reflecting the stars over his head and his armored frame leaning forward. Looking back up, he was startled by a figure standing a few feet away from him and despite the short distance from each other; the person was completely shrouded in darkness.

"Who are you," he asked, his voice slightly distorted by the external speakers on his helmet. Raising his rifle, it was centered on the figure's chest and didn't waiver. Behind him a foot shuffled and he hopped to the right before spinning around so that he could see now two shadows moving around him. His years of training forced every nerve to fire on all cylinders, to eliminate the threats that were around him. Just as he was about to speak a voice echoed in his head.

"_You dare deny perfection?__ The natural progression of sentient life?_" The deep and distorted voice caused Didact to shudder and wince in pain, his entire head feeling like would burst at any moment. Catching his breath, Didact felt nauseous but pushed the feeling back , trying to see who the shapes were that stood on either side of him.

"Who…are you?" he said, breathing heavily once again.

"_The error of your ways_." Holding back tears from the pain, he looked down at the bloody puddles. Heaving breaths wracked his body as he looked back, unable to take what he was seeing. Standing illuminated in the darkness around, Hargrove was motionless and his face cold. The most shocking and horrifying aspect was the rest of his body, disfigured and mutilated from the Flood's infection of his lifeless corpse.

"No…no…I don't want to have to…" snapping his eyes open, Didact's right arm reached out over his nightstand and scattered the few things that were sitting on it onto the floor. Wrapping his fingers around the cool handgrip of his pistol he jumped out of bed in one fluid motion and had it centered on where he thought Hargrove was. Blinking away his nightmare, he saw his shaking and in front of him and heard the cool hum of the pistol in the silence of the night. Rustling behind him, Tyro leaned up off of the bed and pushed the dark silk sheets down to her waist. Didact lowered his weapon and turned around to face her. Adjusting her thin white tank top, she spoke softly in case he was still not out of his dream, something she had learned after years of sleeping with a soldier.

"It's alright…you were only dreaming…" her voice fell on his ears and he took a few shallow breaths as the sweat on his bare chest and arms started to cool. Placing the pistol back onto his night stand, he adjusted his night pants and let his head hang before placing his hands on his hips.

"I'm sorry to wake you."

"It wasn't your fault. Was it new or old?" she asked, referring to the nightmare.

"It's new." She nodded reassuringly and tossed the covers aside before getting out of bed. Pulling on a pair of tight shorts over her white underwear, she walked out of the room, turning on lights as she went. Didact looked down at the clock at saw that it read almost four in the morning.

In the kitchen, Tyro had begun preparing some breakfast for them, and to Didact's surprise he felt his stomach rumble and a great hunger wash over him. Neither of them said anything for a few minutes as she pulled out different ingredients.

"It was them," he finally blurted out after a few laps of their living room.

"The Flood, you mean?" Didact waved at her lazily to brush off his mistake. "That's to be expected, I suppose. It's a horrifying creature, takes a perfectly normal person and turns it into a slavering and terrifying drone."

"You've seen them up close?"

"Yeah…a few of my trips took me to the research facilities where they've been conducting experiments on it, mainly seeing it's tolerances to climate and the effectiveness of our weapons on it. But unfortunately the tests requires subjects to be infected, thankfully a corpse works fine." Didact had stopped pacing and was listening intently.

"It can infect something that's already dead?"

"Mmhmm, it seems the infection form only requires the organs to be present in order for the body to be a suitable host. Despite the horrific nature of the parasite, it has some incredible properties and might one day prove useful for medicinal purposes."

"How so?" Tyro paused to wipe the hair away from her face and rearranged a few items before responding.

"It's called Lf.Xx.3273, or the Flood Super Cell. Basically a blank slate, it is carried within the infection form and is injected into the host's blood stream once infected. The FSC then binds to the DNA and quickly multiplies in a cascading fashion until the host has been completely transformed. The amazing part about it is the fact that the cell can literally become anything it needs to be in order to maintain the host's viability. Only an immense amount of physical damage in a short amount of time or destruction of the parasite itself can neutralize the Flood."

"And it's being housed on these…Halos?"

"They're the perfect place to research them. Enormous rings that have been terraformed in such a way that allows us to study the Flood in a multitude of environments while maintaining airtight security. They're quite amazing actually." As she described the rings, she motioned with her arms over her head in such a way that made them out to be enormous.

"How are they so airtight? I've seen this parasite firsthand and there's no way to ensure it's dead."

"That's where the problem lies," Tyro said, jabbing towards him with a fork. "You don't kill the Flood, that's like trying to brush dirt off of the forest floor. It's a rather brutish technique, but you kill everything that it…that it basically eats."

"I thought it can use corpses…"

"Yes…but that doesn't matter in the way that the rings work. They fire a concentrated neutron pulse at super-luminal speeds, when it hits an organism that has a nervous system that is sympathetic to the Flood infection form, it scrambles it. That way those that can't be affected are allowed to live while those that can are removed as the infection form isn't able to bind in a way that would allow it to take control of the host." Didact stood in silence as he listened to Tyro explain everything, attempting to take it all in.

"With it out in the wild like this, what do you think will happen?" She listened to the question but didn't respond immediately. Setting a pair of utensils down and sliding two plates out of the way, she finally looked back up at him and answered.

"There's two outcomes to all of this, no matter what. Either we win or we lose. There's no middle ground with something as savage as this." Didact understood what she meant, but withheld telling her about his dream and the voice he heard.


	12. Changes

**Author's Note: I'd like to thank all of you for reading and critiquing my story, it means a lot to me. I normally don't like to ask for reviews but they do help me find and fix errors in my chapters so if you have anything to say about the story, just say it, good or bad. You may have also noticed that the frequencies of my updates have slowed which, unfortunately, will continue to be an issue in the foreseeable future as I've almost run out of backlogged chapters to add so they'll now be going up real time unlike the others. Hopefully you can bear with me and keep reading despite these problems. Thanks.**

Chapter 11: Changes

"_We have to pull__ out__! There's just too many of them to handle down here!_" Didact stood in the rear of the war room, partially hidden in the shadows of the towering pillars that arced over the room and connected on the other side. In the center was a large table with a multitude of holographic displays feeding the Demons real time data on the current operation. This was the same room that Didact had first been introduced to the Flood almost two months prior but he was now on the other side of the equation as he watched silently. The basic layout of the floor plan was that of an upper case "T." Rows of terminals were arranged in a grid formation from the entrance to a few feet away from the main table. On the other side of the main holographic projector was a long vaulted hallway, its walls made of floor to ceiling windows that flooded it with the golden light of sunset before leading to a small patio at the end, affording a breathtaking view of the city from one of the tallest buildings. Five Demons were arranged around the table and watched the displays intently. The main view was an enormous sphere representing the planet in question, green triangles moving around serving as markers for the friendly troops. It was an organized mess as ships repositioned themselves to withdraw their troops while still trying to keep themselves safe from the surface. Many smaller screens hovered at eye level which gave much more detailed information on specific areas of the conflict.

"We need more air support over Houin, they're being swarmed," one of the Demons said in the direction of the terminals. A flurry of activity erupted from the technicians manning the stations as they quickly relayed the commands to the fleet. Houin was one of the largest exporters of the Deuterium gas used in the ships' engines and the loss of the city would quickly be felt throughout, mainly by civilians.

"Sir, we've lost contact with C and C." Silence filled the room and Didact looked over at the tech who relayed the information, his face showing the tension and gravity of the news.

"What the fuck happened to it?" one of the Demons responded angrily. He only shook his head and stared back at the Demon. "Kill command. Crack the planet open."

"Sirs…I need you to confirm the command with code verification." Didact slowly got up as he listened to the sudden change in the plan. Bordering on horrified, he stood still as he waited for the other two Demons to input their codes to confirm the order. Two of them immediately entered their codes into the computer and looked up as the third held his hand a few inches from the hologram that had appeared in front of him. Didact didn't know him very well, only occasionally speaking to the man whenever there was downtime during a meeting but they were the same age and had many things in common. His scarred face moved and twitched ever so slightly as he thought over everything, his brown eyes darting back and forth. Looking over, he stared at the other two Demons who were becoming visibly agitated that he hadn't backed up their order. Didact took a few more steps and stopped when their eyes locked. It only took a minute for everyone in the room to be gazing at Didact, dressed in his unimposing uniform sans coat and cover, just his black slacks, dress shirt, and tie on.

"We still have a chance to save the planet. There's no need doom billions more…" What he said was obviously directed at Didact but he couldn't find a response and only stood silently, his lips parted slightly. "For God's sake we still have troops on the ground!" His shout echoed throughout the room but it was again followed by silence as everyone looked at him.

"The battle's lost…" Didact finally said, surprised that he spoke. Nodding slightly to himself, he put his hands on his hips and looked down at the ground before tapping his foot a little bit. "The battle's lost…" In the background he heard the quiet tones of the third code being entered into the computer.

"Core penetration in conjunction with orbital bombardment. I want this thing in a million pieces by the end of the day."

* * *

The sun was sitting low on the horizon, a golden orb blazing through the towers and casting long shadows everywhere. Leaning on the railing of the patio outside of the war room, Didact just stared without thinking about anything for more than a few seconds.

"I heard Houin fell earlier." Didact didn't move when Absolve spoke to him, brushing up against the railing.

"Yeah, they blew Toru apart to keep it from falling into the Flood's hands." Didact didn't say anything for a few seconds. "They're dropping left and right. What we're doing isn't working."

"What is it that we're doing?"

"Nothing. That's the problem." Looking over at Absolve he shook his head in disgust and paced a few feet. "And this suspension bullshit has me stuck here while we lose planet after planet."

"I warned you when you left…"

"I understand that!" Didact took a few deep breaths and stared back at Absolve who pushed away from the railing. "But what would've happened had I not shown up? It might've spread all over the frontier worlds before we got a grip on it. At least by doing what we did, it was slowed down."

"That attitude is going to guarantee you're stuck here and not out there fighting!" Absolve clenched his jaw and stared Didact down. The two men were locked together in a battle of the minds as they stood motionless.

"I'm not going to renounce what I did. I won't give them the satisfaction."

"Damn your pride! You have to play their game by their rules! They don't give a shit about you and what you did. There's more than enough Demons to replace you and truth be told, there's a lot who would replace you in a heartbeat and you know it." The Demon Absolve shook his head slightly and pushed his jaw out in what was best described as a gesture of disgust at Didact. No words came to Didact's lips and Absolve scoffed at this and started to walk away from but stopped. Staring into the vaulted hall of the war room, he didn't look at Didact as he spoke, his eyes glued to a spot about thirty or forty feet out from him. "You need to get your priorities in line. You need to decide which is the more important fight." The only sound that Didact could hear was Absolve's armored boots clacking on the thick glass and metal floor of the chambers. The words that Absolve spoke echoed inside of his head as he tried to collect his thoughts and focus on but he couldn't manage to do it, returning to his railing to look out over the city he was content to just let them run rampant.

* * *

"_Your sins will not be forgiven. Your place in history will be a spot that can never be removed._" His eyes snapped open and focused on the dark ceiling above him, a sharp breath cutting through the silent night that surrounded Didact. Wiping his face his hand which was clammy itself, he blinked a few times as sleep quickly floated away from him and his mind and body became alert, the unfortunate side effect of being a soldier his entire life. Despite his best efforts, Tyro had woken up to his nightmare and put her left hand onto his chest and moved it up to his shoulder, slowly rubbing to calm him down. Lying on her stomach, she looked over at him with her head still in the pillow; her blond hair tangled up around her face as it fell across her mouth and almost covered it completely.

"You need to talk about it Didact. Bottling it up inside only makes it worse, and this is the third time this week. I'm starting to lose count of how many times it's kept you awake."

"I don't know what the dream is," he lied, still staring at the ceiling, the sheets uncomfortably moist on his back. Flopping his arm back, he laid it across his forward but didn't say anything.

"After two months you still don't know what it's about? Honey…I understand if you don't want to talk to me about it, but you need to open up to _someone._" Maintaining his silence, he twirled his tongue inside of his mouth as he contemplated what to do next. Taking a longer than normal blink, he finally made a decision.

"There's two people in my dream, but they're infected by the Flood except I can see their faces perfectly clearly. Well…only one of the faces actually, Lieutenant Hargrove who I met when we were at Temple. He was killed during the evacuation but we couldn't bring the bodies with us so it got left behind for the Flood. But I'm in a city, and there's blood everywhere, puddles of it in craters and holes in the ground. And there's this voice that always speaks to me…but it's in my head, drilling in through my skull and through my brain." Sweat started to form on his body as he began to speak, his right hand fiddling with his fingers over his head as he moved the arm back into a more comfortable position. "I've never heard or felt anything like it before. And every time it speaks it's something different but it's always scolding me in a sense. Always telling me I've done something wrong."

"And it's always the same?" Tyro finally asked after a few moments of silence, her tone different than before, more inquisitive than a caring curiosity.

"Pretty much, the only thing that really changes is the voice." She let out a small sigh and rolled onto her stomach, pulling the sheets up to her shoulder.

"Some of the scientists on the program have reported having these kinds of dreams after coming into contact with the Flood. A voice that speaks to them, but this is the first time that it's 'scolded' someone. We still don't even know what causes it. It's possible there's a hidden predisposition to this sort of nightmare after contact with them, or it's also possible they relayed their dreams to colleagues before reporting it to us which may have planted the seed. Either way…this is disturbing. I wish I could do more for you though. Is there anything else you want to talk about, anything that happened on the mission?" Tyro had long since learned to not ask him about his missions and what happened on them. Early in their relationship, before they had gotten married, she would press for details about what he had done and if she could help him get over the tough things he had seen. After the subsequent arguments and misunderstandings, she learned that it was best for him to tell her when he felt comfortable. This was a different situation though and Didact's lack of an immediate response was proof that this was something he was willing to open up about.

"There was a sniper who had been covering us the entire time, and I had made it a point to rescue her before we left. She didn't make it though, the Flood swarmed her position and she was killed…or infected. That moment, as well as watching the Lieutenant die, won't leave my mind and they're the ones I see in my dream every night."

"You've never let deaths keep you up at night; you've always learned from them and made yourself stronger. Don't change that or they'll eat you up inside." Nodding lightly, he felt Tyro nestle up against him and rest her head and left hand on his chest. Still awake, he could feel her breathing slow slightly and her body go slightly limp as she fell back to sleep. Unable to close his eyes, he remained still with his eyes focused on the intricate designs that had been lightly etched into the ceiling.

* * *

Standing in the kitchen, Didact sipped on a hot cup of coffee and watched the news report hover in the living room as the enormous holographic display illuminated the room with a soft blue hue.

"_The colony Toru was quarantined and cleansed earlier after it was found that the plague that has been spreading across the frontier worlds was discovered there. Government officials have refused to comment on the alleged loss of three ships used during the cleansing; only stating that the entire incident is under investigation. No information has been provided on the nature of the plague although third-parties have stated that the containment protocols being taken are having little effect on its spread. With me now is…_" Smirking a little bit at the anchor and her supposed "expert", Didact turn the news off and set his coffee cup into the sink. As he started to walk away, the holographic display chirped at him twice and fell silent. Stopping to make sure he heard it correctly, the display chirped twice again while a small alert popped up and floated in the air. Walking over towards the display he looked at the name on the message and opened it immediately.

"_I'm sorry to disturb you sir, but I need to s__ee__ you immediately_." Didact was glad to hear Captain Edos' voice over the speakers in his room. It had been weeks since they had lost talked and even longer since they had spoken face to face.

"Absolutely. Wherever you want to meet I'll be there."

"_I'm actually nearing your residence now, is it alright if I stop by there_?" Didact found it odd that the Captain was so far away from the military and government buildings but didn't feel the need to question him.

"Of course. Unfortunately I'm not too presentable at the moment," he said, looking down at his bare chest and black night pants. "If I'm not ready you can just let yourself in."

Quickly taking a shower, Didact stepped out and dried himself off, pulling the towel across the myriad of scars on his body gingerly. He put on a pair of dark slacks and button down shirt that was free of wrinkles and walked out back out into the kitchen. Standing in the living room was Edos in his uniform, staring out the windows at the impressive view that they had.

"Hello," Didact said and walked into the kitchen. Edos turned around slowly and immediately the Demon saw something different. Replacing the silver wings on his shoulder boards was a single silver star and a thick gold band on his sleeve cuffs. A sword hung low on his waist with an assortment of tassels and ribbons hanging off of the hilt, a dark red sash wrapped around his waist underneath his belt. Holding his white cover, he removed his white gloves and tucked them underneath his armpit. "They promoted you…"

"Aye…sir. I only learned of it this morning and was unable to inform you of the ceremony…well, it was hardly a ceremony. The only people present were a few other officers and councilors."

"It's understandable. They wouldn't have wanted me there anyways." Didact felt a pang of sadness and forced a smile. "Congratulations. It was overdue anyways."

"They're giving me command of my own battle group as well as my own ship, an Aggressor class that was just completed a few weeks ago. A little less ceremonious than it sounds though, she was an orphan without a captain."

"What's her name?" Didact asked quickly.

"The _Halcyon__," _he replied slowly. Neither said anything as they stood motionless. Didact finally broke the awkward silence and barrier that had seemed to have been brought up around each other.

"I'm sure you're going to want to get up there and get everything situated as soon as you can. There's a lot of work involved." Leading him to the door, Didact knew that they would never look at each other the same way again as the teacher-pupil relationship they shared had been broken. Shaking hands firmly, Didact turned away the minute they let go of each other, the three part door locking closing and locking with a dull thud.


	13. Contingencies

Chapter 12: Contingencies

Didact's muscles screamed at him as he pushed himself up and down with his arms, the floor filling his vision in a rhythmic zooming in and out after every rep. Sweat poured off his body and pooled on the tips of his hair before dropping to the black rubber floor where it waited to be cleaned up. Every nerve ending in his arms pleaded for him to stop while his muscles were starved for oxygen but pushed on without stopping. Trying to take a deep breath to rejuvenate himself, his throat and lungs stung as the air rushed down quickly but was instantly sped off to his arms and shoulders. Finally unable to take the pain any longer, he pushed up one last time and rocked back onto his knees. The tight grey sleeveless shirt he wore was almost ash in color from the sweat seeping in, his black shorts slippery. Didact had resorted to an almost suicidal workout regimen that had produced very noticeable results. Even though he was always in top physical condition, his workouts were only maintaining his current state, but with the amount of free time he had he devoted almost all of it to taking his body to a new level. In conjunction with the bio-enhancements he had received when he became a soldier and then later upon induction as a Demon, his body had added pounds of muscle and cut away all of the last remnants of fat. Every part of his body was outlined by defined muscles that were rock solid whenever he flexed them. There was another component to his workout that went beyond looking good and that was the Flood. Seeing them in combat he knew they were fast, and despite his augmented reflexes he was only slightly faster than them. For hours every day he practiced his hand to hand combat with dual swords against holographic drones. Standing up, he walked across the rubber floor towards a small wooden rack where the two blade projectors were sitting and strapped them onto his arms. Only outputting a fraction of what the real hilts could do, contact with them would result in a slight jolt and a red mark that would last for a few days.

"Activate drones. Highest setting at full speed." Five avatars materialized in his workout room, the bright light inside illuminating from every part of the walls with the only breaks coming in the form of small black floor to ceiling supports. The few weight sets that were still out collapsed into small forms and withdrew into their holding space on the inside of the walls, leaving the entire space completely open. Moving to the center, he watched as the drones turned into five Forerunner soldiers who were all fighting with hand to hand combat slowly float to encircle him and then wait.

"_Confirm ready. Predetermined vital signs will trigger emergency shut-off. Values defined by…user…Demon Didact." _The upside of using the drones was the ability to receive a simulation of the pain he would normally feel in the form of electrical volts to exact organs and muscles creating an unprecedented level of realism. Didact had placed the vitals to such a low level that one of the first times he fought he was worried the system wouldn't stop it in time. He had quickly learned his lesson and was easily defeating multiple opponents.

"Ready. Begin simulation." Immediately the drone at the four o'clock position lunged at him and was quickly stabbed in the chest before he had taken more than a single step. As this was happening, the two o'clock position leapt into the air and spun its leg around in an attempt to connect a roundhouse kick. Slicing his sword through the air he watched as the hologram flickered and rendered a portion of the leg falling to the ground while the avatar stumbled backwards on his remaining foot. Before the sword had cut completely through, he had withdrawn his right arm and brought it against the twelve o'clock who had taken a step back and was preparing to come at him, the blade slicing through its face as the drone's form went limp. Spinning back to face the other two, he held the two blades out as extensions of his fists and waited for them to make their move. In the few seconds of downtime he had, he knew this was the easy part with the worst yet to come. Simply lunging forward, both blades were plunged into their chests, killing them instantly. Before he had a chance to settle himself, a whole swarm appeared and came at him at once. His mind instantly switched into a Zen-like state as his arms swung and lopped off limbs that came towards him while leaping out at whatever soldier got close enough to be killed. To someone watching on the outside, he was almost a blur as each part of his body moved in a perfectly coordinated ballet that gave him maximum damage and efficiency with the least amount of energy required to reposition himself. Stepping out with his right leg, he sliced the two blades through the mass of soldiers as some fell down in two separate pieces while other clutched their stomachs and collapsed while writhing in simulated pain. The rest of the drones didn't last much longer and were quickly cut down by Didact's twin blades. Breathing quickly but under control, he shut the swords off and stepped back towards the rack and set them down on it in the same spot they had been when he first grabbed them. Walking out of the weight room, he set about his normal routine.

* * *

Tyro sat down in the floating chair, the gravity field adjusting to the added weight as she settled into the plush black leather that was attached to the silver frame. Crossing her legs, she adjusted her dark blue skirt and pulled it down towards her knees. Chairman Hoyt sat opposite Tyro on the other side of a large table, tablet computers scattered on the table and multiple holographic displays floating in the air. Adjusting a pair of almost invisible glasses that sat low on his nose, he turned to face Tyro and tilted his head down a little bit while his eyes remained glued to her.

"I don't normally make room in my schedule for an impromptu meeting, I hope this is important." Hoyt's voice was gruff as he turned back away to look at a screen that flashed at him. Behind him were three large floor to ceiling windows that afforded a view of the city behind them, a large arc separating each one as it rose up to the ceiling before meeting with three more arcs from the other side of his office.

"Yes, I understand Uncle, but this was very important." Moving his head slightly as a gesture to continue, he waited for her to speak her mind. "I feel you're not taking the Flood seriously enough. From what I can tell the operations have been half-hearted and understaffed. It's going to reach the point where you can't keep it hidden nor can you keep it under control. We're lucky it hasn't attacked a large populace center yet."

"I'm sorry that you feel that we're not taking this seriously. I can assure you we're taking this very seriously, especially if we have to continue destroying colonies. If this is all you came for then I'm afraid you've wasted both of ours time."

"We have to start looking at more drastic measures as well plans for protecting the species, regardless of whether you like it or not. Assuming the Flood grows beyond our control we must come up with a plan that will not let them continue to grow, and that's what I've come to speak to you about." Expecting an immediate protest, Hoyt remained silent as she removed a small data chip from the pocket on her left breast. Handing it to him, he slid it into a receiver which fed the information to a holographic display that hovered all around Tyro. Maneuvering her chair off to the side, eight points of interest appeared around the galaxy. "These are the locations of all of our installations. You can see the seven Halos that reside within the galaxy which are also where we had originally house the Flood infection forms for research. In addition is the Ark which is located here," she said, pointing to the edge of one of the arms of the galaxy. "What I propose is this…at full power; the Halos can eliminate all life within twenty-five thousand light years. With proper positioning they can effectively cover ninety-nine point eight percent of the galaxy." The Halos slid around and a faint red circle displayed off of each one. "The Ark is then moved to a location outside of the galaxy now that it's foundries aren't needed for the construction of the Halos. It will also act as a remote activator and a safe haven if needed."

"And how do you propose reaching the Ark seeing how far it is away from the galaxy."

"Slispace portals. By creating portals located throughout the galaxy we will be able to reach it instantly and shut down all access if needed. It's drastic, but we have to think of the worst case scenarios here." Hoyt remained silent while he stared at the hologram, his eyes moving back and forth between in a slow scanning pattern.

"I'll think about this…"

"Well... I'd like to put forth another idea that goes in conjunction with this."

"What is it?" Tyro changed the view again to a system that Hoyt didn't immediately recognize, a cluster of stars residing within a purple and pink cloud of dust and gas. Zooming in on one of the stars, a series of gas giants filled the air, dwarfing the small icy planets that also occupied the space.

"We discovered this remarkable system a few years ago."

"I fail to see how special it is, Tyro."

"The habitable zone isn't occupied and none of the other planets have a strong enough effect on the region. I did the math and worked on the theory and this is what I came up with." A new planet appeared in a thin green belt that had appeared before the hologram zoomed in on a planet that had a quarter of it cut off. The surface was a mix of greens and blues with the tops covered in snow. Just below the surface was a thick ring of something silver with an assortment of structures hanging off of the bottom. Almost invisible was a small orb in the very center of the planet, floating disconnected from the surface. "The whole theory behind this is to take the combat drones that we already have in place on the Halos, the Sentinels, and use them to create a protective shell around a self contained biosphere located here," she said, motioning towards the small dot in the center of the planet. "The Halo blast won't penetrate far enough in and allows high value personnel to stay behind and repopulate or coordinate if needed. Attached to the underside are multiple production facilities that will maintain structural integrity as well as some holding areas where we can use Slipspace technology to actually protect even more personnel from the blasts. All of it will be coordinated by an advanced AI system." Stopping, she looked at Hoyt to judge his reaction. Receiving none she shifted uncomfortably but remained silent as he continued to stare at the image like he had done with the Ark.

"Leave these here with me, I'll look over them at a later date and get back to you. Is that all?" Tyro shook her head and started to walk away. Before she reached the door she stopped and stood there for a few seconds. Turning around she looked at Hoyt's eyes and spoke.

"Declare war; mobilize every ship and soldier we have. And reinstate Didact." Hoyt didn't respond as she walked away and Tyro took his silence and tilting of his head after she had finished as a sign that it would be taken into consideration.

* * *

"Admiral Edos, we're receiving a transmission from Fleet Command, should I patch it through?"

"Do it," he said while nodding. Standing on the bridge of the _Halcyon_, he stared out at the space surrounding Shi-Kai. Thousands of ships moved about in the blackness around them, carefully avoiding the buffer zone that surrounded every naval vessel.

"_Admiral Edos, this is Fleet Admiral Hackett_." The Fleet Admiral's voice was slow and low, every word sounding slightly raspy as his speech gave away the man's age while also sounding strong and forceful. "_I'd like to congratulate you on your promotion, although I'm sure you've heard that a lot. We'__re reassigning you and your battle group though. We received a distress beacon from a colony in the Substance system. Go and investigate what happened and report back any findings. All pertinent information will be uploaded to your database before the initiating __Slipspace__ departure._"

"Affirmative sir. Is there any information on the attackers?"

"_Negative. At this time we have no information but expect potential Flood contacts_." That wasn't what he wanted to hear, but there wasn't anything he could do about it.

"Copy that, maneuvering for Slipspace jump now. _Halcyon_ out." The bridge was much smaller than Edos had been used to, only four technicians running the ship's system plus the single navigator. Giving the orders, the nimble _Halcyon_ pushed out of orbit as the two other ships under his command followed suit. A small file appeared on his main display and he opened it to read the information as they entered their jump corridor. The message being broadcast by the beacon was woefully short and contained no information, leaving Edos blind as the _Halcyon_ blinked away in a flash of light.


	14. MIA

Chapter 13: MIA

"Don't mistake what's happening here as an admission of wrongdoing or misjudgment on our part. We still stand by our earlier decision. Unfortunately…outside circumstances seem to be forcing us to reevaluate your suspension which we have done." Standing almost motionless, Didact was in his black and red full dress uniform that had been perfectly pressed without a single crease out of place. A single golden Eagle badge was the only piece of adornment that he wore pinned just above his left breast pocket, a simple object denoting his status as a Demon. His sudden bulk up had caused his uniform to grow tight on his body but it also served to highlight his size as he towered over the councilors who were huddled behind Hoyt and his desk. "Your service and skills in battle cannot be denied, and as I'm sure you're aware, this war isn't going all that well for us." Hoyt paused for a few seconds as if what he was about to say pained him. Didact wasn't normally someone who took pleasure in these types of situations but he couldn't help but let the corner of his mouth turn upwards ever so slightly. After what they had tried to do to him, watching them come back asking for help was the ultimate revenge. Avoiding the words that would've come to his mind first, Hoyt went straight towards the business at hand. "You're being reinstated to full combat status and returned to command of the _Forseti_immediately. This meeting is adjourned but if you'll stay for a few minutes, I'd like to have a few words with you, Demon." Nodding, Didact's eyes dashed back and forth as he examined the councilors who filed out, avoiding contact with his eyes. Remaining stationary, he waited till the doors closed shut with a deep and muffled thump before letting his arms drop from the small of his back as he let his muscles relax a little bit.

"You wished to speak with me?" he finally asked after a few moments of silence.

"Yes." The single word reply almost prompted Didact to press for more information but he held his tongue thinking that there was more to come. "You owe all of this to your wife, if you didn't know already. She visited a few days ago and we had a long chat about some things and she made a very convincing argument to bring you back." Didact clenched his jaw, knowing now why she had to get ready for something that she couldn't talk about. "I hate to come across as two faced here, but I'm a lot happier to see you back then I let on earlier. Some of those men truly wanted to see you permanently blacklisted and have your ranks and honors stripped." Hoyt had been wandering around the polished stone floor as he spoke, mainly looking at his feet as he spoke while occasionally stroking the white hairs on his chin. Stopping, he looked out of one of the windows and placed his hands on his hips as he wrinkled the black silk robe he was wearing, the gold trim shimmering in the light. "Your friend Admiral Edos is missing." Didact wasn't expecting this statement and it spread throughout his body in an instant as his lungs felt heavy and his limbs went numb. His straight back curved slightly and his head slumped forward and he took a few steps to mask what was almost a fall. Hoyt didn't turn around as Didact moved about, trying to collect himself from this broadside. Edos was like a brother to him and to learn that he was missing and possibly dead was a feeling he had never experienced before, a pain that filled ever pore and vessel in his body. But just as fast as it all hit him, the feeling changed, became the sort of determination that couldn't be broken or derailed. Standing tall again, his head was already racing with ways to find and rescue the Admiral.

"What was he doing?"

"Fleet High Command sent him to a colony in the Substance after they received a message from a distress beacon. He took his ship and two others to investigate and hasn't reported back and hasn't responded to any hails. Probes are en route but by the time they arrive it'll most likely be too late to do anything. I'd like you to lead a small picket and investigate, and rescue if needed, the area."

"I understand."

"I know you do. I sat on this longer than I should've but I knew you had a personal interest in this mission and it would be a mistake to let anyone else take it on. Do what you have to do to bring them home." Didact didn't respond but only nodded and turned to leave, his mind focused on the mission he had just been given.

* * *

Didact felt his chest piece to make sure the armor plate was snug and wouldn't move around, something that was highly unlikely after his bulking out which was straining the fitted pieces and joints. The Demon armory was completely empty except for the bored manager who sat behind a myriad of holographic displays at a terminal in the center of the long, dim room that gave him images of the idle weapons and armor that were safely locked away. It was rare, though, for a Demon to actually come to the armory to get prepared as most had their weapons and armor on them at all times with a spare set stored away here just in case, but because of Didact's suspension, the council had seen it fit to keep it locked away.

"I'll need a new set of armor when I return, the earlier I can get that all taken care of the better."

"Understood, sir," the manager said, lifting himself up quickly once Didact spoke to him. Typing something down quickly, he looked back up and nodded. "Please return here whenever you're ready, we'll get it all taken care of."

"Thank you," the Demon responded, walking away as a small drone followed him with all of his gear attached to multiple points on it. The small metallic robot hovered almost silently, a single blue eye glowing in from the center structure where a platter was attached on the top and two small booms hung from the bottom. On top was his custom long rifle, small additions added to the weapon to help with various aspects such as energy concentration, heat dissipation, optics, and other things that he needed over the years. Sitting next to it was the carbine, almost identical in look to the long rifle but designed for close quarters combat that necessitated maneuverability over range. Dangling from the two arms was his personal bag and a reinforced backpack that he took with him into battle, storing his medical supplies and extra ammo, grenades, or equipment in when they were attached to his belt or the various magnetic strips located on the armor. Walking through a maze of corridors, he finally arrived at the hangar where his transport was waiting to take him to the _Forseti_. After the short trip into orbit, he made his way to the bridge, the first time since they had left Corstun. There was a habitual urge to look for Edos that he quickly suppressed almost as fast as the feeling came. With an AI the likes of Enigmatic Flame, there was no real reason to have an XO and now that he was without one, he was going to stick with the AI to do everything else.

"_Shall I prepare the _Forseti_ for __Slipspace__ jump to the Substance system_?" Enigmatic Flame's voice was soft in the bridge, almost alien after the months away from his post.

"Affirmative." The jump to Substance would be a relatively quick one. Located within the Inner Worlds, the system had more or less been ignored during their expansion due to the harsh conditions of the planets located with the system, only one of which was barely habitable and that was the ice world Substance. As the ship entered Slipspace, Didact brought up the information on both Substance and Edos' original mission plan. "Enigmatic Flame, please transfer all of the files to my quarters."

"_They'll be waiting for you_."

Standing behind his desk Didact remained in his armor, not wanting to go through the hassle of removing it only to put it back on when they left Slipspace. Opening up the first file, he looked over the mission directive that Edos had received from Fleet Command. Before reading it he saw that it was painfully short and after scanning over the two paragraphs of type, his suspicions were confirmed as he saw that it contained very little in the way of tactical information. Merely stating that a generic distress beacon had been activated followed by a short bit of information about the planet. Opening up the other file, it contained almost the same things. Originally founded as a civilian colony, the plan was to terraform the planet by melting away the ice in the tropical zone. Further surveys found that it wasn't a feasible plan and it was more or less abandoned by civilians until the military took it over and used it as a hostile environment training facility for many years before abandoning it as well. Currently it was occupied by a small scientific team that was experimenting on the effects of the cold on a variety of things. Didact instantly felt that the response was unwarranted for such a small group of people but he was sure that there was a reason for having a small battle group sent to investigate and a second to rescue the first. He couldn't understand what that reason was, though, and for the rest of the journey he tried to figure that out.

* * *

"_Exiting in three…two…one…returning to normal space." _Imperceptibly the Forseti returned to the normal laws of space, time, and gravity. Off in the distance, the white-blue planet that was Substance loomed menacingly against a sky of black with the star burning weakly in their periphery. A small satellite orbited the planet that was seemingly made of the same ice material as Substance suggesting it was also once covered in liquid water. The two sleek Aggressor Class cruisers exited Slipspace on either side of the Leviathan Class Forseti before spreading out slightly in case they needed to quickly engage the enemy. The _Aurum_ and the _Ferrous_, sister ships, were the two fastest cruisers in the fleet which was mainly due to their design. The entire ship was covered with a highly reflective black metal that kept all of the normally exposed guts tucked away reducing atmospheric drag and dramatically decreasing it's overall heat signature. The hull design was also slightly radical compared to the other ships with the top featuring a double arrowhead design where the fore and aft portions both came together in sharp points, the front much longer and narrower than the rear. The keel came together at a blades edge before widening to meet the top portion of the ship. The aft section was the thickest part of the ship where the engines were housed creating a large hump shape that blended into the rear where to four engine outputs slipped out of the sleek hull. Protruding from the hump was the bridge that hung out over the rest of the ship, the only part that didn't fit with the rest of the slippery hull. Almost invisible against the blackness of space, the Aggressors were still dwarfed by the enormous Forseti that sat motionless as it's scanners picked up every little piece of space junk that was floating around in the area around the planet, which, because of the lack of full scale colonization efforts, was a small amount of stray rock.

"Any sign of the _Halcyon_?" Didact asked Enigmatic.

"_Negative. I am not detecting any life__signs on the planet and no __heat signatures of any ships out there either_." Didact cursed under his breath and had to consider his next course of action carefully.

"Do we have any idea on the status of the colony?"

"_No activity. All power is shut off and the AIs have been taken offline_." That wasn't a good sign. If they needed to destroy the AIs they had with them it meant that the researchers didn't want to risk them falling into the hands of whatever decided to show up and cause issues.

"Alright…I want to go to the surface with a small team and figure out what happened down there. Just two transports, nothing more." After he gave the order he thought for a few seconds. "Is Lieutenant Hall still aboard?"

"_Affirmative.__ Would you like him to accompany you?"_

"Yes."

The scene was a familiar one as two transports sat ready to depart with their contingent of Marines and Didact was hard pressed to not think of the assault on Temple. There was going to be a total of thirty of them going to the surface which seemed adequate considering the firepower that could be brought to bear from orbit if the need arose. Standing next to Didact was Lieutenant Hall and the rest of his squad. None of them said much of anything as they filed into the drop ship before waiting for their Corsair escorts. Leaving the ship, the flight into the atmosphere was incredibly quick as the ship hit the turbulent air and began to tear through it. Plasma built up around the bottom of their ship as the air resistance caused so much heat that the air entered the fourth state of matter, not too dissimilar from the same type of plasma that their weapons used, although theirs was of a much hotter and concentrated variant. Turbulence rocked the airframe violently but within a minute it was all over and the superheated ship flew towards the thick clouds that obscured their destination. Billowing into the sky, the clouds were almost blindingly white as the thunderheads built up more and more, untouched by pollution of any kind. The light began to fail as they flew deeper and deeper into the clouds and the brilliant white of above was replaced with a flat gray that removed all sense of location and direction. Through all of this the compartment remained eerily silent as everyone on board stood like sentinels as their bodies rocked and swayed with the bumping of the winds that buffeted them. Dropping through the bottom of the clouds, they were greeted by a thick blizzard that almost completely obscured their vision, the only points of reference in the white out being dark black rocks that jutted out of the snow banks and glaciers that dotted the landscape. Didact kept looking for the facility to be located at the base of the hills that he would occasionally spot but he was greeted with nothing as the snow blocked out his vision occasionally. Suddenly the ship decelerated sharply and lowered to the ground before stopping completely. The grav lift appeared in the center of the craft and the first wave of Marines jumped down and into the blowing snow around them. Shuffling towards the exit, Didact followed and floated to the ground before his boots sank into the snow a few inches before hitting the permafrost below and stopping.

"_Clear._" Echoed in his ears as the different Marines checked their immediate surroundings. In a combination of the blowing snow and their adaptive suits, the Forerunner soldiers had blended into the white that surrounded them as their armor shifted to a matching color and their visors became like a silver mirror. Throttling their engines, the drop ships pushed into the sky and proceeded to enter a holding pattern over them while they began their search. Sitting in the center of what looked like an enormous ice field, a collection of about twenty small buildings were huddled near each other, permanently caked in snow and ice on their sides. Almost all of the buildings were single story metal buildings, obviously prefabricated and placed during the initial colonization effort. A few stood a little taller with stories and slightly larger windows along with the metal showing less weathering indicating they came a little later on. From his position, it looked to Didact as if the entire place had stopped in an instant and left. Vehicles were parked awkwardly and a few doors were left ajar, allowing the snow to flow in and cover the interior. Squeezing his rifle a little tighter, the Marines fanned out while Hall and his men knelt down in a large circle around Didact as he stood motionless, snow already collecting on him and around his feet. None of his passive or active scanners picked up signs of movement by anybody other than the Marines and no life signs or anomalies were detected.

"Something's not right here…people don't just disappear without letting others know." Didact spoke into the comm channel but wasn't expecting or wanting a response.

"_We're going to bring the databases back online, see if they've got any information_," one of the Marines stated as they filed into the buildings. Turning up the temperature in his suit by a few degrees, Didact remained motionless as he scanned around the environment, looking for nothing and receiving just that.

"_Even if there were any clues, there's probably a few inches of snow covering them up. And that's assuming nothing blew away,_" someone else said over the radio. Didact wasn't sure if this was part of another conversation or just a general statement.

"_What the… Sir…you need to see this_." The tone of voice was unmistakable, something important had just been found and it wasn't good.

"Patch it through to me." A few seconds passed before the a folder appeared on his HUD, opening up in a sleek interface that wrapped around the visor as a list of thirty images and one text file was listed. Opening up the file, he scanned over the AI's logs which were nothing more than simple lines of text that stated it's actions in response to observations. The first thing that caught his attention was the line Unidentified vessel entering Substance space followed quickly by Design/designation cannot be determined . The rest of the messages were rather mundane and devoid of information and he closed them to look over the images. The first ten were just of the black sky over the planet as the first instances of a Slipspace exit began to form against the pin-pricked background. Then, on the eleventh image, he couldn't believe what he saw and zoomed in and out before accepting it. What he believed to be four Vindicator class destroyers and three Aggressor class cruisers exiting the blinding flash of light that was a Slipspace jump, but instead of being covered in the sleek dark gray metal that was the norm they were instead covered in sickening bulbs of fleshy material that had attached themselves to the hull with much smaller swathes of organic material that were creeping out from the sacs. For a few seconds Didact couldn't understand what it was that he was looking at but it slowly dawned on him as he recognized the colors of the flesh as being that of Flood origin. Quickly flipping through the other images they only served to reinforce his suspicion. "If none of you have seen anything, I want to return to the ships ASAP." Still standing in the snow, Didact watched through the blizzard as the transports made their way back towards them, the Demon shaking the thick layer of snow that had accumulated on his camouflaged armor off of himself as he stepped away from where he had remained the entire time. Locking his rifle onto a magnetic strip on his back he turned around and headed towards the ships as they came back down to the surface and opened their gravity lifts to accept troops, the white flakes flowing up the chute as they all filed in. Within a two minutes the entire contingent was on board and heading back towards the battle group.


	15. Echoes

Chapter 14: Echoes

The elevator ride to the top of the command spire was a lonely one like it always was, soft beeps mixing with the hollow thrum of the gravity lifts thrusting him upwards.

"Please have the Marine commanders waiting for me on the bridge; I need to discuss possible courses of action with them."

"_Affirmative, I have contacted them all and they will be arriving ASAP_." He remained silent after she finished speaking; feeling his stomach shudder a little as he passed between floors where there was no artificial gravity. A few moments later and the lift began to slow as it approached the top. The two doors slid open silently and he was greeted with the bridge buzzing with activity as they poured over the information that they had received from the surface. Three officers stood still next to a hovering display of the planetary system, the display zoomed in slightly on Substance with the requisite information extending away from it off of a series of lines and boxes.

"Commanding officer on deck!" one of the Marines guarding the door called out and everyone stopped what they were doing and stood at attention.

"At ease," Didact said as he stepped away from the door and towards the Marine commanders. "Thank you for arriving on such short notice. I'm not going to beat around the bush here, we're dealing with the Flood and they have control of seven of our ships." Didact scanned the three masks of the commanders, their faces obscured by the reflective blue visors and black metal of their helmets. He had learned years before that it was an effort in futility to try and learn their names and who they were; their posts on the ship were typically only a few months long before they were replaced by someone who was identical in their mannerisms. "Right now we've got little to go off of but for the time being, I want the entire detachment at their general quarters and on high alert. Any questions?" The three shook their heads in unison as they replied "no" and then returning to their silence. "Alright…" Didact said, his voice trailing away in almost a disappointed tone. He was used to having independent thinkers and having his orders questioned and this sudden return to unquestionable allegiance was throwing him off. Stepping away from the holographic displays he walked towards the front of the bridge and looked out into the space around them, his eyes occasionally jumping to the almost blindingly bright planet they were orbiting.

"Where to, sir?" One of the navigators said, turning in his chair to look at the Demon. Didact didn't say anything as he thought silently, chewing lightly on his bottom lip as a layer of dry skin began to form on it. Something that continued to gnaw at him was the fact that Edos hadn't left any clues for them to find and follow. It was a safe bet that the Flood fleet was still orbiting Substance or were within the system because he hadn't been spotted anywhere else since his departure from Shi Kai. And even if he had been in a battle, which there was no evidence of, they could've still dropped a buoy for the eventual rescue fleet to pick up. There was none of that.

"Sir…I'm picking something up." Snapping out of his thinking, one of the communications officers behind him and to his right was sitting anxiously in his seat, quickly flipping through different screens and settings.

"What is it?"

"It's a transmission, tons of juice being pumped into it or else we're sitting right on top of the source. It's encrypted too; whoever's sending it out knows Fleet Command protocols." Didact squinted slightly as he heard this; almost skeptical of what it was that he was hearing.

"Find the source of it."

"Aye sir. I'll need a few seconds to lock it down…" his voice trailed off as set about triangulating the location, excitedly typing in numbers and commanders as the computers calculated everything at a blistering speed. "It's coming from a gas giant within the system. Odd though, it seems like it's in the middle of a message though. If they had just started broadcasting you'd think it'd start at the beginning," he asked rhetorically.

"Wait, long range scanners are picking something up. There's a satellite at that planet, it's not a natural formation." People on the bridge began to take notice as the logistics officer to Didact's left spat out his reading. Turning so that his back was to the viewport, he watched as the communications officer spun back around and looked at his displays.

"I think that's where the message is coming from! The planet has already moved by the location as remained the same. If the source was on the backside we wouldn't be able to receive its transmissions unless there was something to piggyback off of." Didact smiled a little as they worked everything out.

"Decrypt the message and get it to me as fast as possible. Enigmatic, prepare the battle group for a short jump to the source. Someone's still alive so we're going to go and get them."

The Slipspace jump didn't last more than a few seconds as the _Forseti_ hopped from Substance to the gas giant within the system where the source of the transmission was at. Appearing on the blindside of the planet, the three ships instantly shot out a myriad of drones that would allow them to get a view of the other side of the planet as well as maintain radio contact in case they ended up on different sides. "Launch all fighter squadrons; keep the bombers on stand-by." Enigmatic hummed back in agreement and relayed the order to the flight controllers. Resting his hands on the railing, he began to grip it tighter as the drones neared their positions and beamed back information. The first few didn't give very good views and only showed blackness and a feeling of disappointment sank into his stomach, fearing they chasing nothing back whispers in the wind. One by one the drones beamed back images and connected to each other to create a network of communications and data transfers that would allow them to fight effectively. Looking down, his thoughts unwillingly wandered towards Tyro and he longed to see and touch her again even though he had only been gone for a few hours. Surprised at this sudden incursion into his mind he tried to focus on the mission at hand and just as he closed his eyes, the bridge went silent before people began to speak in tones of shock and awe. Glancing back upwards, one of the last drones displayed an image of something incredible. Rotating on a slightly off axis, an enormous metallic ring floated in the air as if it was suspended by microscopic strings attaching it to something. All along the inside of the ring were green plains and blue oceans that sparkled in the bright starlight. Cutting across the fields were white capped mountain ranges that led into enormous ice fields while deserts sat like old scars on the backside of smaller mountain ranges. White clouds glided across the open land casting shadows on the ground below, some of them producing a light gray haze underneath as rain soaked the ground.

"It's a Halo…" he said softly, remember what his wife had told them of the installations. As his eyes scanned every inch of the installations, he slowly fell under it's seductive spell and was unable to shift his gaze away from it even as he pulled his head away slowly. Just as he was about to look away, something caught his eye as the ring spun slowly, an enormous tundra timidly revealing itself from underneath the shadows that blanketed the white snow. A thick black column of smoke rose up into the air and hit what Didact believed was the top of the atmosphere as the smoke topped out and pushed itself up spin. "Zoom in on that, there's something there," he said, stepping forward while he pointed with his finger. Enigmatic quickly interpreted this and aimed one of the many cameras at the smoke zoomed in on it. From their angle it was hard to tell but there seemed to be a sizeable debris field leading to the smoke but it was impossible to see much else.

"Sir…I've located the Flood fleet. It's positioned on the inside of the structure and is holding above a location in geo-synch." One of the views that popped up in front of him zoomed in on the Flood fleet, identical to the images that he had seen when on Substance.

"Relay this information to the _Aurum_ and the _Ferrous_Bring us to full power, I don't want to waste any more time waiting back here." A slight shudder rippled through the superstructure of the _Forseti_ as it's engines were spun up to one hundred percent and pushed the enormous craft forward. "Enigmatic, warm up all weapons and begin prioritizing targets. Have all firing solutions determined ahead of time for the first barrage once we're within optimal range." Didact felt his stomach flutter and his body fill with adrenaline as the Leviathan class ship sped towards the pole of the planet, it's white and blue clouds swirling in long streaks from the deadly upper atmosphere winds. Looking out of the main view port he could see the other two ships fall in next to him, their fighter pickets holding tight against their hulls. Checking his own, he could see the tiny ships flying in formation next to them as the eight main cannons emerged from their housings along the top of the ship, four on either side. Glowing brightly, the plasma batteries were already ready to fire but he didn't want to give themselves away or risk any hits on the structure. Many of the smaller turrets came online as well, ready to send constant barrages towards the other ships as well as destroy any kinetic weapons or fighters that came in their direction. Cresting the top of the planet, Didact was able to see the ring with his own eyes and was again momentarily struck dumb by it's majesty. Looking near the shadow line, he could see the seven Flood ships holding positions. He could also see as their engines flickered to life and they began to roll onto their backs before righting themselves and heading towards the smaller battle group. Didact quickly began to do the math in his head. The Vindicators were designed primarily for escort missions and while they were the same tonnage as the Aggressors, they carried more armor and weaponry but were much slower and less agile than the three Aggressors they were operating with. Sporting three main turrets in addition to a plethora of small batteries, the Vindicators would be able to swarm the _Aurum_ and the _Ferrous_ without much effort if they focused their firepower. The Aggressors, on the other hand, traded their armor for speed and added another battery bringing them up to four. Even though they were outgunned two to one Didact was confident that if they stayed smart they could survive withut too much damage taken. Glancing down at the glowing batteries that had rotated forward towards the enemy ships, a familiar feeling of uneasiness fell over Didact before it was quickly replaced with a calm that filled every pore of his body as his mind became clear.

"_Within range, shall I fire_?"

"Do it." Eight balls of plasma simultaneously leapt away from the hull of the Forseti and streaked towards the grouping of Vindicators that were still trying to get within range. Burning spots into his corneas, Didact looked away momentarily to blink them away then looked back. Enigmatic guided each shot individually and was even able to change the speeds slightly so that the bolts could be redirected if needed. The lead Vindicator seemed to stand in defiance as the bundle of miniature suns streaked towards it. About fifteen seconds passed before the first shot hit the ship head on. Reacting instantly, the silver shields flared up in protest but were unable to withstand another hit and blew away as parts of the hull melted away with some of the flesh that had built up on the exterior. The third hit landed and the entire ship disappeared in a flash of blinding light as the plasma washed over the exterior and the reactors detonated simultaneously, showering the nearby crafts with mostly harmless shrapnel. Three more shots impacted on another ship and it followed suit as burning and melted chunks of it's hull floated in space. The other ships continued forward, executing strenuous evasion maneuvers which helped somewhat as the two remaining shots glanced off of their shields. Cutting the distance to within range of most of their weapons, the dead space between the two groups instantly filled with smaller bursts and beams of energy as they battered each other's shield. "Make sure we still agile, they're going to be gunning for us." The two navigators responded to his order and began to move the _Forseti _aggressively by dipping it's front down and bringing them underneath the Flood battle group. The _Aurum _and the _Ferrous_ unleashed their weaker weapons and impacted on two of the Vindicators, both losing their shields but still remaining functional. Plasma had continued to pool at the very rear of the plasma batteries but they only had a finite supply of energy and they were using a larger amount for maneuverability which meant a reduced warm up time.

"Incoming shots, I'm detecting three on a collision course with us!" Looking out, a Vindicator had fired off all of it's batteries at the _Forseti_in what was nothing more than a futile attempt at damaging the ship. The speed of the other ships made it difficult for the flagship to remain in optimal firing positions and looking through the viewport and consulting the other monitors that he had, it seemed as if the battle had risen higher, relative to their position.

"Both the _Aurum_ and the _Ferrous_ have taken direct hits. Their shields are down to the sixty-three percent and forty-seven and falling," someone else called out. As he turned around, the first shot hit grazed the prow of the ship sending a shudder throughout it's superstructure and causing the shields to flare in that area. "Shielding at ninety-eight percent and holding, no structural damage."

"When I give the order, reroute all power to the generators on the top and rear of the ship." The officer gave him a quizzical look but nodded at the order. "Navigation, once we've cleared these attacks, bring us straight up. We need to draw them off of the _Aurum_ and the _Ferrous_ long enough for them to recover or else this fight will get real ugly real fast." The second shot missed the Forseti completely, managing to find it's way through the large gap in the center while the third hit the port side pylon dead on. "Now!" Didact called out and everyone on the bridge did as they had been told. In a single graceful movement, the enormous Leviathan class pointed it's noise up and turned on it's rear so that the main batteries were facing the Flood fleet that were arranged above them. Dodging the incoming fire, the two Aggressors classes were constantly in motion as their turrets frantically tried to cut through the strong shields surrounding the enemy. The gauntlet that they were about to pass through was an impressive sight to behold. Filled with bright white and blue plasma while some of the larger bolts streaked through leaving long contrails, it was possible to see the nimble fighters ducking in and out of barrages as they went about making bombing runs on the Flood and Forerunner crafts. Staring straight ahead, Didact watched as a single Flood ship continued to fly forward, directly into their path upwards without any sign of stopping.

"Sir…?" a navigator asked with a slightly tone of anxiety lacing his words.

"Brace for impact, fire off all shots at everything else!" Jumping in his seat, he quickly fumbled for a cluster of restraints that were pulled tight against the rich black leather. Another eight shots leapt away from the batteries and towards more Flood ships, but Didact was hardly interested in what their effect was as the enormous ship closed the distance with ease. At the last second, the front shields flared a bright silver and alarms blared as the other areas were brought offline in order to route every available ounce of energy to their bow. Gripping the armrests, he braced for the impact about a second and a half too soon and clenched his jaw only to look up just as they pierced through the bottom hull of the ship. Didact watched in awe as he tracked the shockwave ripple down from the front of his ship towards the bridge where it finally smashed into them. His vision was blurry as everything around him rocked and shook like nothing he had felt before. Holograms flickered and failed as the lights dimmed and went out, the only illumination coming from the ambient light that was reflected off of the hull and the gas giant. A sickening grinding sound echoed through the metal of the ship as metal scraped against metal in a battle of wills before finally giving in. Out in front, the Flood ship was almost broken in half as the _Forseti_ cut through the last portion of it before the two pieces broke away from each other. Billions of shards of metal flickered in the bright light around them as the lights of the two halves died out but not before sputtering a few times in a last ditch effort to stay illuminated. On board their ship, the electronics finally came back online as the shaking stopped and the grinding was replaced with the monotonous drone of the engines. Didact was pleasantly surprised to see the front of the ship in relatively good condition, only some minor warping and damage visible on the exterior. The ship was designed in such a way that the front portion that had been damaged wasn't occupied in case something like that happened, causing unnecessary casualties if there was any need to ram the enemy. Shaking off the shock of the impact, the Demon looked around the bridge to make sure everyone else was okay. Satisfied that everything was safe, he unstrapped himself and got out of his seat to resume directing his ship as it leveled off and headed towards the Halo.

"Scanners show all clear, no remaining ships." Didact nodded and took a deep breath before slowly letting it out. The skirmish that he had wasn't anything particularly special but it had been a long time since he had been in a fight that this felt like a full on fleet battle.

"Enigmatic, bring us into orbit over whatever it is they were guarding. We'll go from there."

**A/N: Sorry for the delay in getting this published, it would've been done a few days sooner but I went back and rewrote most of it. I'm hoping to get chapters out on a week to week basis but that's subject to change so please keep giving me your support and criticism and I'll do my best to get this story finished because I've got some great stuff planned for the rest of this story.**


	16. The Library

Chapter 15: The Library

Tyro folded her arms as she stood silently in the lab with a group of other scientists who waited with baited breath, the only sound coming from the scrubbers that cleaned the air as it came and left the room. The room was lit with bright white lights that were integrated into the walls at the top, bottom, and center which removed all of the shadows. A few desks sat nestled near the edges and were sparsely adorned, a few data pads and projectors scattered on the smooth metallic surfaces. Sitting in the center of the room was a large metallic podium that was connected to far off generators and servers by a few large cables that were sprawled across the black rubber floor. On top of the podium was a small mirrored metallic object that floated a few inches off of the top, a glyph looking like a lightning bolt built into the front that glowed a soft blue color. The rear of the object was slightly elongated and had a multitude of ports that were connected to the cables that emerged from the top of the podium.

"Alright…let's start the test," Tyro said, looking at one of the scientists. He nodded back to her and tapped a button on a keyboard which caused the silence of the room to be broken by a loud humming from the podium. The lights within the orb flared to life and burned brightly but it remained still for a few moments before the object lifted up almost a foot and turned back and forth a little bit.

"Power levels seem normal, nothing out of the ordinary. Basic movement algorithms are running at one hundred percent." Tyro stared at the orb for a few seconds before looking at the same scientist as before and spoke.

"Bring everything else online one at a time." A few button presses later and the orb was operating at full capacity except for its speech programs. The scientist sat down at the computer and typed in a few more commands. Lines of text scrolled in the air as the program ran and it was quickly transmitted to the AI. "State your name."

"I _am Mendicant Bias, Contender Class AI programmed by Librarian Tyro. My purpose is to command Forerunner fleets independent of __organic life__forms_." Applause quickly erupted from the scientists as they heard what the AI said, it's baritone voice piping through the speakers that were built into its casing. Tyro smiled and clapped her hands lightly before being showered with accolades as the others turned to her and began to congratulate her. The whole time she kept her gaze on the AI as it looked around the room it was born in.

* * *

"What are we looking at here? Do we have any idea as to what this thing is?" A large hologram floated in the air, illuminating the war room with a soft blue light. Dominating the center of the plane they were viewing was a large tapered structure nestled into a small mountain chain. Rising up from the lower slopes of the building were four enormous arms that rose up and met over a hole in the top where eight shield doors were closed shut. A few miles away, an enormous double wall rose up from the snowy mountains and encircled the building for a reason Didact didn't know. The rest of the Marine commanders were circling around the image in a slow saunter as they took everything in.

"It looks like it's some sort of garrison," one of the Marines said. "Wall surrounding the building…smaller structures scattered about the mountains…lots of natural obstacles."

"Doesn't matter what it is, all that we care about is the fact that our brothers are in there and they're under attack," Didact finally chimed in so that they'd get back on track. "The distress signal is originating from inside and it says there's a large host of Flood assaulting the structure and we need to get in there and rescue them."

"Most of the area is too mountainous and isolated for the ships to come in themselves so we're going to have to ferry them in. There are three potential landing zones that are right next to the structure but that's where the scans are showing the highest concentrations of Flood."

"Just barrage the outer zones, clear up the rest."

"No…I don't want to risk damaging the structure, blowing this place apart isn't going to solve anything." Didact's interjection silenced the room. "Besides, if they've taken refuge inside that thing then it most likely means they can't get out or relocate."

"Sirs_, I have retrieved information on the anomaly __upspin__, it's the wreckage of the _Halcyon" The Demon pushed his lips together tightly and pulled them against his teeth. Whoever was speaking to them through the intercom went silent after giving their report.

"Shit!" he finally cried out, startling the officers there. An image of the abandoned ship popped up in the air, a long black scar leading up to the burning hull where it was cloaked under an enormous thunderhead of black smoke that was pouring into the atmosphere.

"_We're receiving a message now_," the voice chimed back in, unable to hold back their excitement. "_It's from Admiral Edos_."

"Patch it through immediately." The image of the crash disappeared for a few seconds before being replaced by a floating wave of static, a wet coughing coming through the speakers. For a few seconds the image remained unclear but partially popped into focus as Edos positioned what Didact assumed was a small drone that was hovering in front of him.

"_Demon? Can you hear me_?" Edos' face was covered in soot and splotches of dried blood, a few cuts still open. His black uniform was ripped and torn in a few spots revealing his shirt underneath where yet more blood was showing. The Admiral's breathing looked labored and every few breaths Edos wouldn't be able to hold back a wince as he showed his teeth and inhaled sharply.

"Yes Edos, we can hear you. There's a battle group preparing to get all of you out of there." Edos chuckled a little bit and let a smile creep across his face but it faded just as quickly as it had appeared. The sudden change in attitude didn't sit well with Didact and he knew that they were running out of hope.

"_We're lucky we found this place…it's pretty obvious my ship had taken us as far as she could go. Not a whole lot of us survived the crash, a bunch more were killed on the way towards this building…according to him it's called the Library_."

"Wait, who's him? Why did so many people die getting there?" Someone called out in the background and caught Edos' attention as he looked away.

"_I'm sorry sir, they need my help. Do whatever you feel is right but there's no need to sacrifice more lives than you'll save to get us._" The feed cut out the moment he finished, the speakers hissing quietly as they tried to make noise from nothing. It was blatantly obvious that Edos was suffering from an extreme level of shock, possibly mixed with a case of survivor's guilt.

"I advise we land the entire contingent but split between the crash site and the…Library? Was that what he called it?" one of the commanders said to someone standing next to him, turning back to Didact. "Well, just land people near whatever it is and get them out"

"We'll probably end up losing more people to the Flood that have surrounded the building than we'll save." Tensions began to rise as the commanders began to take sides, some willing to go in while the others weren't. Didact remained silent, listening to them argue amongst each other without getting anywhere.

"Enigmatic, what is the estimated number of contacts located around the structure they're hiding in?" Didact said quietly.

"_I am estimating them to be somewhere in the range of three to five thousand strong. There are some unknown contacts showing up that are causing interference with the scanners so it is possible this number could be higher or lower than my estimate_." While Didact had fought in battles much larger than this, he was curious as to how the Flood was able to amass such a large ship on three relatively small ships designed more for ship-to-ship combat than ground assaults.

"Alright…thanks." Looking up across the table, he put his hand up which silenced the room instantly. "We'll siege them. We have the equipment and the firepower. Soften up their lines and keep the Flood back up and then we'll assault the remaining forces and rescue those inside." Nods of approval circulated around the room as he presented his plan to them. "Alright then…let's do this."

* * *

The scene was a familiar one, instantly bringing back memories of the invasion of Temple months earlier and his first engagement with the Flood. But unlike the last time, they were bringing the heavy weapons with them in order to weaken the Flood up before attacking. Sitting idle next to the heavy transports that had arrayed themselves in the hangar bay were dark gray tanks, their engines humming quietly with their lights low. The main body of the Shartoya tank was organic looking with the passenger compartment a rounded square bulge that quickly funneled down into a snout that rounded off to an ugly underside. Attached to the rear of the hull were two large engine mounts that served as its source of propulsion and maneuvering. Mounted on top of the large bulge was the main cannon attached to the independent turret. A single door was built into the rear of the tank that allowed access to the main body of the craft while another hatch was located in the center of the snout that was opened up to reveal an anti-personnel turret mounted onto it. A few operators moved about them, sliding their hands over hull and checking the engines, silent as they focused solely on their job. The hangar was relatively quiet as the preparations for the landing were just beginning to get underway, alarms of cranes echoing quietly while a few engines throttled up and down as they were being checked. Didact walked towards the main hangar door and looked through the hazy blue shield that was glowing in front of him and out into space, the Halo floating gracefully against the backdrop of the gas giant.

"Sir?" Didact looked back over his shoulder but didn't move his body.

"Yes Lieutenant?" Hall was standing behind Didact and then took a few steps forward after being addressed so that he was at the Demon's side.

"Will my squad be accompanying you to the surface or will we be reassigned to a new unit?" Didact didn't say anything immediately as he hadn't even thought about it before the Lieutenant's mentioning of it.

"I would be honored to have the four of you at my side," he replied, smiling at Hall who returned it.

"Thank you, sir." The Lieutenant took a few steps away before turning back towards Didact. "I'm sorry to hear that your friend is down there. He saved all of our lives back in Temple, trying to repay the debt is the least we can do." Walking away for good this time, Didact was left in silence, agreeing with what Hall said.

Twenty minutes later the atmosphere completely changed as columns of Marines were yet again preparing for a landing action against the Flood. Transports were locking into the many walkways that extended out from the multiple decks that the hangar cut through, fully loaded ships detaching themselves and taking up a holding position just off of the _Forseti_'s hull while they waited for the others to join them. Inside, the tanks were being attached to enormous gravity locks on the drop ship variants in groupings of two so that they could be transported down to surface to assist in the siege. A third component of the invasion was being put into place as the _Forseti_ began to maneuver itself over strategic locations above the Halo in order to hot drop in the enormous Bayfor siege tanks. Housed in a large compartment on the belly of the ship, they would be dropped from orbit and use their built in thrusters to slow their descent before landing. The siege tanks were much larger than the Shartoyas and stood on four highly articulated legs that helped brace themselves against the enormous amount of stress on the system whenever the cannon fired. Mounted onto the rear end of the Bayfor, the main gun was an enormous tri-barreled weapon that could aim independent of the main body, sending a blast of plasma across incredible distances. With the ability to redirect the shot after it left the cannon to adjust for troop movements, the weapons platform was a formidable enemy, if archaic with the relative ease of space bombardments. A few dull thuds reverberated through the ship's superstructure as the first of the Bayfors were launched at the surface.

"Sir? Are you ready to depart?" a pilot said, walking up to Didact and saluting.

"Yes." Standing in an out of the way area, Didact was lingering with Hall and his men next to his drop ship. The five of them had their backpacks on, the straps pulled tight across their armored chest with a second, smaller, bag strapped around their waist that sat on their rears and held extra energy cartridges. They all filed up through the gravity lift and entered the compartment that they had all become familiar with over their military careers. There was a slight shift in the gravity as the drop ship lifted off of the hangar floor and made its way towards the shield before entering the zero-g environment on the other side. Strapped into his seat, Didact took a few deep breaths to let his stomach adjust to the sudden freedom it had been afforded. Outside, the landing party was beginning to make its descent towards the predetermined landing zones that most of the Bayfors were heading towards. A slight rocking began to come over the frame of the drop ship as it pushed itself into the atmosphere of the Halo and the increasing air fought back against it. Gripping one of the overhead rings tightly, Didact let his knees go loose to help absorb the bumps and jolts grew in intensity and battered the hull of the drop ship. Finally relenting, the shaking stopped and the craft was able to regain its composure as it leveled off and flew towards the surface. Looking out through the viewports in the ship he was able to see the snowy mountains and glistening plains stretching out to an abrupt edge where the starry backdrop was still visible through the soft blue sky that surrounded them. A few thin clouds were floating over the land but for the most part the sky was clear and hinted at the cool air they were sure to find themselves in within a few short minutes. Making their final preparations for landing, the drop ship began to spiral over what appeared to the edge of a large valley but the windows were woefully small and made it almost impossible for him to get a sense of the greater layout of the region. A few seconds later and they were engulfed in a cloud of blowing snow that was a mix of debris kicked up by their engines as well as those of other drop ships that were landing near them. The gravity lift opened up silently and snow quickly began to assault the opening but was rebuffed by the intense field that was created by the lift, once out of it though, Didact was almost blinded by the shifting clouds and took a knee next to the exit to avoid an accident as the craft took back off. It took a few seconds for the torrents to subside enough so that he could survey his surroundings. The landing zone he was in happened to be located on top of a large plateau that overlooked a long and wide river valley that led straight towards the Library. On either side of them, jet black mountains towered above them, their windswept peaks blown dry of all but the smallest patches of ice. Off to his right was a large waterfall that was frozen in its tracks as it became the larger river that meandered its way towards what appeared to be a valley that surrounded the Library. Looking out and then up, he was struck with a slight sense of vertigo as the horizon narrowed before arcing upwards and over their heads before coming back down behind them. Examining the mountains on the other side of the Library he could see what appeared to be a large double wall wrapping around them.

"I wonder if there are seasons here. You can't get a waterfall without snow melt…and it seems kind of pointless to build one only to have it freeze." Janus' comments didn't garner a response as they looked around at everything. Didact was the first to break from his daze by turning around and locating the Bayfors that they had dropped off to this landing zone. Six of the enormous siege engines were waiting silently behind the mass of troops and lighter armor that had assembled near the edge of the plateau.

"Enigmatic, begin coordinating bombardment between the three landing zones. Saturation bombing, nothing targeted. I also want you to bring up the schematics of the building so that we can find a way inside as fast as possible and target strikes on those entrances."

"_Affirmative._" Zooming in on the valley around the Library, Didact could see a pulsating crowd of Flood gathered at the edge while a few wandered further away in the stained snow fields.

"_Sir? May we begin firing?_" The voice belonged to one of the Bayfor commanders, speaking on behalf of the entire corps who was holding their fire.

"Fire at will." Looking back, he watched as the cannons on their backs deployed. Glaring angrily with a single black window across the cockpit, the Bayfor's body was a single sleek unit with a hump about two-thirds of the way back where the main cannon rested on. The four legs were an enormous mass of hydraulics and reinforcement beams covered in dark metal armor that protected the most fragile areas from anything but the most devastating of strikes. Resting on a series of servos and energy pylons, the main cannon was a triple barreled weapon that extended over almost the entire body, the plasma coils pumping energy into the magnetic casing within the cannon before releasing it in a hellish ball of heat and gas that would devastate almost everything it touched. One of the Bayfors had already begun to charge it's cannon, a deadly and terrifying hum filling the air as the hairs on Didact's arms began to stick up and his skin tingled. "Let's see how long the Flood will stand against this…"

**A/N: Apologies for the absurdly long wait between chapters; mid-terms have been going on for the past few weeks which extended a frustrating bout of writer's block. With Spring Break and a calmer schedule I hope to get these out in a much more reasonable amount of time but I can't see the future so that may put a few kinks in the plan.**


	17. Assault at Dawn

Chapter 16: Assault at Dawn

Didact found it hard to sleep with the rhythmic blasts and bright lights of the artillery shots arcing over their heads illuminating the short period of night that had fallen over them, shaking the ground as the smashed into plains below them. Most of the soldiers had lain down in the snow to get some sleep using their packs as pillows of sorts to keep their bodies propped up, rifles lying slack across their chest. A few soldiers remained up and meandered through the groups who were asleep, keeping watching in case there was a need for alarm. All around the mountains the Bayfors continued their siege but it was difficult for Didact to judge the effect that they were having. Part of the reason he couldn't fall asleep was due to the fact that his mind was constantly racing to try and come up with the most effective plan to get into the Library but at the same time limiting their casualties. After almost twenty hours of bombardment he had still not yet found the solution he was looking for, knowing that he would have to rely on his gut to know when the moment was right for them to attack. Kneeling down, Didact rocked back onto his rear and compacted his legs against himself as best he could, watching as the enormous plumes of plasma erupted into air, illuminating the surrounding area in an almost blinding wash of white light. Up in the star filled sky he could see the silhouettes of the Forseti, Aurum, and Ferrous against the backdrop of the gas giant, its edges glowing blue from the star on the other side.

"_Sir, Admiral Edos is patching through to us, would you like to take it?"_

"Absolutely," he said in response to Enigmatic Flame. A few moments of silence passed before he heard a voice in his ear.

"_Didact…?_"

"Yeah, it's me." The Demon instantly felt that something was off in his friend's voice, it sounded weak and lost.

"_It's good to hear your voice; we've been losing people pretty regularly so it's gotten quiet inside here._"

"What's been taking them?"

"_Injuries from the crash, wounds from the fight over here…most of them could've been prevented if we had the proper supplies but we lost most of the convoys on our way into this place…_" Edos trailed off and the comm channel clicked off after a period of time. Didact had never heard Edos' voice sound like this and it was obvious to him that they had little time left before the rescue mission became a recovery mission. Almost without warning, a few tears began to stream down his cheeks, tickling his skin as it brushed over the whiskers that were beginning to poke through the pores in his skin but there was no way to alleviate the discomfort without removing his helmet so he let it subside on its own. "_We can hear explosions outside; feel them through the floors and in the walls. Just promise me one thing…if you can't get to us, don't leave our bodies in here for them._"

"I won't," Didact said almost instantly, sobbing quietly as he listened to Edos speak, the tears flowing freely. "I'll walk you out myself, you've got my word."

"_I hope so__. I really hope so." _The channel went dead and left Didact sitting, waiting for Edos' voice to crackle through but it never did. Standing up, he brushed the small chunks of snow that had accumulated off of his armor and clenched and unclenched his fists as he looked out over the snow plains in front of him.

"Enigmatic, where are we with the building schematics?"

"_They have a hold on them. I must wait until the proper authorities can give the go ahead to access them."_

"Do you know where they're at, though?" He hoped his tone would give away his intentions.

"_Yes, I know where they are and could theoretically gain access to them by force_." Enigmatic's voice didn't change at all despite knowing exactly what he wanted, sometimes making it hard for people to judge her stance on a subject.

"We don't have time for politics; just do what you need to do." Looking back over the plains he could see the mass of Flood moving about in an attempt to avoid the incoming fire, the faintest glow coming from the star just barely illuminating the crystals of the snow as the accelerated sunrise came towards them. Glancing back behind him, an enormous thunderhead was travelling downspin towards them, flashes of lightening just visible beneath the leading edge of the storm. Reexamining the plains, Didact's gaze settled on a small dip in the terrain that was about halfway between the bottom of the plateau and the Flood elements that were closest to them. It looked like it was nothing more than a small stream bed but its walls looked high enough that they could crouch and take cover before mounting a full offensive. He still worried about the great distances that they would have to cover trying to get to the stream bed as well as the more harrowing run into the Flood masses. Flipping his arms behind his head, Didact took a few breaths and planted his tongue into his cheek as he waited for an idea to come to him. Slowly he visualized what they would have to do as he let a small smile creep across his face, the final realizations coming to him just as the first rumbles of thunder came through the mountains. Bringing up the logistics channel, he pinged all of the commanders for this echelon and waited for them to send a reply. "We're going to go ahead with the rescue operation this morning and this is how we're going to do it." He brought up his overhead view of their area and marked the stream bed for them. "All of the Marines will climb down to the valley floor and make their way to this location. Armor will consist of the entire Shartoya contingent in addition to three Bayfors, the other three maintaining long range support. Snipers will take up position on the lip of the plateau and provide over watch for us as we move forward. Are there any questions?"

"_No, sir_," Rang through his helmet from multiple voices, the channel going silent. Before he was even able to get his rappel line into his hands the soldiers around him were already preparing to scale the cliff as they pulled out the thin filament cables and the tripod mounts that they stabbed into the ground, plasma cutters on the end of rods inside the legs drilling themselves further into the ground to support the weight that was about to be put on it. Entire squads latched on and began to scramble down the side of the dark gray rock, their armor shifting from a milky white to a dull smoke color as it adapted to the change in scenery.

"Shall we begin?" Muron asked as he pulled the mount out from his pack and locked it into place. Latching on, Didact let out some slack from the spool on his waist and walked to the edge, turning around and watching the other members of the squad follow his lead. Taking a step while staring down, he planted his armored boot onto a small ledge and tested it for a second before bringing his other leg down and lowering himself down even further. Letting go of the cable, he began to use all four limbs to scramble down the side of the plateau while getting a glimpse of the long distance to the bottom. It would be very possible for him to slide down the slightly sloped wall and land at the bottom without much issue but he wasn't willing to risk losing people to injuries because he was impatient. Nearing the halfway point, he heard an odd sound off to his left and glanced over to see people spinning around on the rocks and pulling out their carbines. A few stray plasma bolts streaked towards them and impacted against the wall, spewing rock and dust into the air before it began its lazy descent towards the ground. A few Flood forms had begun to move towards them, firing the weapons that they swung around with just a single arm, the main host remaining uninterested at their advancement. Soldiers around him had begun to stop climbing and were shouldering their rifles to begin firing.

"Ignore them," he called out over his external speakers. "Ignore them!" Didact repeated, overriding the general channel for his echelon. "Leave them for the snipers." Almost as if on cue, a sharp and high pitched snap crackled through the air as a lance of blue energy cut through the air and detonated the chest of a Flood combat form, green and yellow blood spewing to the ground as its body crumbled without the control of the infection form keeping it together. More sniper shots snapped through the air as the Marines resumed climbing to the bottom of the cliff face. The rest of their climb was uneventful as Didact jumped down the last fifteen feet to a slope of loose dirt and snow. Squads had already begun to reform and were preparing themselves for the sprint across the almost completely open ground to the stream bed.

"We're going to go straight and use that small hump as cover. Don't stop for anything until you get to the stream." Didact and the rest of the Specters had arranged himself into a small circle and as he spoke he looked at each man individually. Slapping his long rifle onto its magnetic grip he reached back with his left arm and released the much smaller carbine and gripped it in the center as he stood up. "On my command we go." Zooming in on the Flood he could see that the mob had begun to take notice of the soldiers moving towards them but had yet to make any kind of action, only watching and waiting. Glancing to his left, his smile veiled behind his mask, he spoke to Hall. "Do you think you can keep up?"

"I'll do my best, sir," the Lieutenant replied as the other squad members chuckled a little.

"We'll see about that. All squads move out!" His order was instantly broadcast to everyone under his command and before he had even finished giving it he had already leapt forward, his long and powerful legs thrusting his armored body forward with little effort. It didn't take long for the Marines around him to fall out sight as he sprinted forward, still gaining speed. The conditioning he had put his body through during his suspension was beginning to pay for itself as pushed harder and harder, his arms swinging in controlled jabs while he tried to center his vision as the speed and unevenness of the ground made it almost impossible to see clearly. Out of the corner of his visor he glimpsed a white shape occasionally pop into view, the Lieutenant straining to keep up with the Demon. Just as he was about to taunt him a little, the snap and crackling of plasma rounds began to surround him as the Flood began to fire at the mass of Forerunner soldiers in the open. Slowing down a little bit he began to dance back and forth as bolts wailed past them, impacting the frozen ground around them as small pillars of snow hopped into the air. Loosening the grip on his carbine, it slid towards the ground before he twisted his wrist and caught the handle to return fire. Raising it up completely straight, he continued to run forward as he slammed the trigger down causing the weapon to whine loudly and jerk a little as an almost non-stop stream of plasma bolts sizzled out of the front pylons and towards the Flood. Most of his shots went errant as the either dropped short or went high but a few found their mark and tore into the combat forms in front of them. Dropping his sight, he could see the lip of the stream quickly approaching and he shifted his angle so that he was lined up with a small rise just in front of the bed walls. Pushing off with his right leg, he flew through the air before dropping in on the near side of the stream and sliding down on his rear to the bottom. Looking at his mission clock he could see that almost a minute had passed since they had left the cliff face. Coming up next to him was Lieutenant Hall along with the rest of his squad, all of whom were showing the effort required to keep up with him compared to those who had taken a much more tame approach to the crossing. Replacing his weapons yet again, Didact scanned the stream bed to see how many more had arrived. Only about ten feet wide, the ditch was large enough to allow him stand at a half crouch and be relatively safe from incoming fire and when standing up completely only exposing his body to the middle of his chest. The stream that normally would've run through it was nothing more than a small trickle now, frozen in place before being shattered by the armored feet of the Marines. Checking back behind him, Didact watched the last groups of soldiers make their way into the stream bed, plasma bolts filling the air around him. A few bodies were strewn about the field while those who had yet to succumb to their wounds or not died immediately still moved in a desperate attempt to save themselves. The second wave of replacements was beginning to makes its way towards them as the Shartoyas floated down to the ground off of the plateau while the three Bayfors were firing their enormous boosters to push them up and down to the plains to provide heavy support.

"What now, sir?" Janus asked, looking at Didact and the Lieutenant behind him.

"Weaken their lines; once we know how to get in we'll break through." Didact's reply was yelled out over his speakers as the din of battle grew louder and louder. "Enigmatic, how those schematics coming?" he said immediately over his private channel to her.

"_I'm copying them to our local battle net but it's not going to be instantaneous, the distance between us and the mainframe is hampering the download speeds._"

"Thank you. Once they've been copied over send out a fleet wide message highlighting every single way to get into the Library."

"_Affirmative._" Shouldering his rifle, he stood up and rested it on the snow covered ground and took aim at the Flood. Depressing the trigger, he let out a quick burst that tore into a few of the infected that had wandered out from the main host. Three loud booms echoed through the valley as the artillery began to fire again and within seconds, enormous columns of dirt, flesh, and snow were flung up into the air, the concussion of the hits rattling through Didact's body. The volume of fire between the two groups continued to grow as the last of the Marines took up their places on the line and opened fire. Behind him the Shartoyas sped across the plains trailed by twisting rooster tails while their engines screamed at full power before quickly dropping off as they stopped a short distance behind the lines and began firing with their main cannons. Despite this massive show of force, it seemed like they were doing little in the way of damage to the Flood as it began to move towards them slowly. Something else was odd as he noticed that there were almost no dead bodies anywhere on the battlefield. Nestling his rifle into the snow more he pulled the trigger down without worry and raked the stream back and forth as the Flood seemingly absorbed the shots without much concern, especially the infected soldiers who still wore their armor or even had an operational shield generator. Alarms began to chirp from his rifle as it overheated but he ignored them and tossed some snow onto it which melted almost instantly as it floated into the air as steam. Despite all of this the Flood continued to march forward, just like it did at Temple, unconcerned with its losses as long as progress was being made.

"Sir, we're going to need to do something to slow them down." Looking over at Hall, the Lieutenant continued to shoot but he glanced back after seeing the Demon cease.

"I know. But until Enigmatic Flame can get us the schematics we're stuck here or we'll be flying blind on the wrong side of the equation." The officer nodded and went back to firing but Didact knew that he was right. Noticing a darkening of the sky, he looked up and saw that the thunderhead had began to push over them, the clouds looking angry and turbulent underneath.

"_This is Bayfor Delta. Echo, __Foxtrot__, and I are__ beginning__ our__ strafing, keep your heads down boys_." Behind them, an almost non-stop booming echoed through the air as three streams of bright blue plasma impacted the front lines of the Flood which instantly became obscured in torrents of dust and snow that was whipped about in the superheated air. Peering through it all, Didact saw something odd as what appeared to be sets of boney hands grasped at the air before disappearing into the swarm. Focusing his sight on where he had seen the thing the first time, he waited for it to reappear but nothing showed itself until he was about to begin firing again. Bursting through the front ranks of the Flood were enormous masses of fleshes that stopped after taking a few steps into the open to survey their surroundings. Hunched forward slightly, its left arm seemed to be protected by chunks of bone and calcified flesh that created a sort of shield, it's right arm appearing more as a mace or club than an arm. Two powerful legs propelled the beast, a webbing of flesh and bone connecting its chest to the legs while the tendrils and feelers of an infection form sat where a head would normally be, long curved pieces of bone protruding out on either side. Standing almost nine feet tall, the creature was nothing like Didact had seen before and for a few seconds he was shocked as they emerged from all over the Flood swarms.

"What the fuck…" Muron said out loud before shifting his focus towards it. Plasma began to streak towards the Flood tank and it quickly brought the shield arm up, absorbing the most damaging of blows. Tolerating the assault for a few seconds, the tanks suddenly grew annoyed and burst forward towards the Forerunner lines while bringing their enormous club hands up for an attack. Bringing it down, there was a sickening symphony of creaking metal and shattering bones as Marines were crushed under the horrifying blows. The Tank closest to them hopped into the stream bed and began to swing back and forth, tossing soldiers in every direction before stopping to break the back of one man and then tossing him towards the Flood swarm. All around Didact grenades were primed and tossed at the tank which seemed confused as to what to do. A few seconds later the explosives began to go off in a seemingly unending chain of explosions that forced the behemoth to recoil and cower as the waves of plasma burned its flesh. After the dust had settled, the creature was still standing but obviously reeling from its wounds with the shield arm lying lifeless on the ground and large portions of its body missing. Only about twenty feet away, Didact tried to think of something to do to kill it but was jolted when it exploded in an enormous explosion. Lazily putting an arm up to block the wall of flesh that crashed into them, the Demon looked over to see a Shartoya's barrel still smoking as it moved away from their position to assist elsewhere on the line. Content that the threat was much less than he had originally anticipated he turned around to face the Flood again only to see even more of the tanks moving towards them. Breathing deeply, Didact was about to begin fighting back when he was distracted by an almost happy humming in his ear.

"Oh…why…hello! May I ask why you are here?"


	18. 2401 Penitent Tangent

Chapter 17: 2401 Penitent Tangent

"Librarian, the probes have returned from their investigations. Would you like to see the data?" Leaning forward in a richly padded gravity chair, Tyro pushed herself away from the table she was at and looked over her shoulder at a messenger who was standing in the door to her office. Rubbing the sting of focusing on her computer for too long from her eyes, she nodded and navigated towards the center of the room where she dismounted and activated the holo-tank that was embedded into the metallic floor. The two walls that were windows magnetized and instantly became an impenetrable black sheet, blocking out the bright light that was reflecting off of the passing traffic and nearby buildings. A cloud of particles leapt up from the ground and calmed down as they orbited an invisible gravity well before pulling together and coalescing to form a planet and it's moon. Spinning slowly, color washed over the two as the largest planet shone in blues, greens, and whites while the moon was a dull gray color, it's surface marked and scarred from millions of years of abuse.

"What's it's make up like?" Tyro asked, referring to the surface and the atmosphere.

"_Perfect for life… exactly what we found_." The voice responded through the speakers in the room, the man was a scientist in her research group but was located in another complex on the planet.

"Really?" Her tone of voice conveyed mild surprise, holding herself back until she knew what was actually living there.

"_The entire planet is alive. Initial scans showed life forms on almost every landmass except for the poles and some extreme climate regions. Most of it is non-sentient, nothing we really haven't seen before_."

"So you're saying there is sentient life there?" The Librarian's heart began to beat a little faster now.

"_It looks like it. During nocturnal scans we located clusters of fires in the equatorial zone which we found to be small impermanent dwellings. The most amazing thing about them is the fact that they look almost exactly like us!_" Chuckling a little at this revelation she folded her arms and shook her head, unsure of what it was that she was hearing.

"We haven't found something like this since we discovered the Sangheili. Do we have any more specific information yet?"

"_Negative, the drones are still conducting long distance observations and we should have the information within a few days_."

"That's too long," she fired back almost instantly. "I want to get some people on the ground as quickly as possible. A few days at the very latest."

"_I'll get right on it_."

* * *

"I must know how the parasite managed to land on my installation. This is a grave breach in security protocols that cannot be ignored…" Didact was staring at the contraption as it bobbed in the air, narrowly dodging plasma bolts as the burned through the air in all directions. Encased in a silver metallic square chassis, the object had a smaller horizontal teardrop object inside of the outer structure, a single eye glowing soft blue in color. Engraved in the lens was the Forerunner military symbol while smaller and more geometric etches surrounded the edge of the outer encasing. Protruding from the rear was a small anti-gravity engine that kept him floating in the air and pushed him around whenever he needed to move. Waiting for some sort of name, he spoke.

"I am Demon Didact, commanding officer of the Suppression Fleet." Ducking back down into the stream, he looked up into the stormy sky above him and kept his eyes focused on the glowing orb as it danced around. "Who are you?" He called out over the din of battle.

"Me? Why I am the monitor of Installation zero five, Delta Halo."

"You must have some sort of name."

"Ahh, yes. I am 2401 Penitent Tangent." Saving it in his memory, Didact could see that the soldiers around him had stopped fighting and were staring at Penitent Tangent.

"What are you? What's your purpose?" Almost ignoring him, 2401 made his way around the immediate area as he examined the battle and the Flood forces.

"Most unfortunate… if containment is not achieved soon we will be forced to activate the installation's security measures in order to ensure there is no potential of a further outbreak."

"Hey! I asked you a question." Frustrated with him as he nonchalantly flew about, Didact rolled onto his stomach and checked the charge left in the fusion core before rejoining the battle. Firing off a few quick bursts, he finally had his questions answered.

"I am a Defender class AI built by the Librarian Tyro. We are tasked with overseeing the Halo Array." A small smile crept across Didact's face when he heard Tyro's name but he didn't have time to dwell, not even on her. "Why have you not yet retrieved the Index, Demon? This current outbreak is perilously close to the object and risks it falling into the wrong hands."

"What the hell is the Index?" More of the Tank-forms were beginning to emerge from the Flood lines as the mass of soldiers steadily grew smaller with the ground littered with hundreds, if not thousands, of the parasite's dead hosts. Booms from the Shartoyas echoed out as their rounds sliced through the Tanks but only a few fell from the first attack while the others limped forward. Looking back to see if the Monitor was anywhere nearby, Didact was unable to see him anywhere and quickly set his sights on the task at hand. Finally able to see the other side of the plains, he was able to spot what looked like an entrance into the Library. Zooming in on the large tunnel he spotted a gondola docked inside of it which was directly across from a small platform built into the cliff wall, scattered wreckage still smoldering on both sides. "That's where we have to get to. We've got to figure out how to get it back to our side so that we can get in and rescue them."

"There are still a lot of them in between, how do you plan on getting through?" Janus commented as he tossed a spent fusion cartridge to the ground where it melted the snow around it.

"I'm not sure…run maybe?" Didact shook his head disappointedly but continued to think.

"I am astonished that someone of your position does not know what the Index is for!" Startled by the accented voice, Didact whipped his head around to try and spot 2401. Floating over his head and then circling back around, Penitent Tangent was again surveying the surroundings. "I'm sorry for not answering your question; I was called to another location on the installation to deal with a minor issue."Spotting Didact cock his head in confusion, the monitor continued on. "All of the arrays are outfitted with an advanced teleportation grid. I'm appalled at the lack of working knowledge you have of these installations," he said, rambling on as his voice got quieter.

"Monitor, we need to get onto that gondola, can you bring it over to us?"

"Absolutely not!" he exclaimed, whipping back towards Didact and keeping his eye focused on him. Didact wasn't sure if it was just his mind playing tricks on him but he thought he saw a tinge of red appear in the blue glow but it quickly subsided. "The Index is currently safe and contained. As long as the Flood remains within the quarantine zone there will be no reason to proceed to more drastic measures."

"My brothers are trapped in there and you're telling me I have to leave them behind?" There were a few moments of tense silence as Didact rolled over onto his back and had his arm braced as if he was to leap upwards.

"Yes…that is exactly what I'm telling you." Hall, shocked at this, looked over at the Demon to see what his reaction would be. Shaking his head ever so slightly, the world around Didact seemed to fade away as his mouth hung open with one side pulled tight, his tongue playing behind his teeth. In a single movement he undid the seals on his helmet and threw down into the snow as he stood up without regard to the fight still going on around him. Tossing his rifle next to his helmet he pulled out his sidearm and leveled it at Penitent Tangent who seemed to suddenly have focused his attention on the Demon.

"You will get me into the Library one way or another!"

"What author-?"

"Check my file! You'll have your answer there!" The argument paused for a second as the monitor accessed the military database and saw the connection between Didact and Tyro.

"I will use the Sentinels to provide a corridor for you and your men. The gondola will be waiting for you once you've reached the platform." Nodding, Didact knelt down and grabbed his gear, taking a deep breath to calm himself after the tense exchange. Holstering his pistol, he picked up his rifle and got back to helping thin the Flood that were still alive as he fired into the thickest pockets of the parasite. An almost silent buzz began to fill the air around them after a few minutes of fighting but Didact wasn't able to find a source for it. Startling him a little bit, long beams of orange and blue energy cut through the air and into the Flood, cutting through the diseased and rotted flesh without much trouble. Quickly tracing the beams into the sky where a thick swarm of metallic machines were descending down through the clouds. Easily numbering in the thousands, they broke off into three columns to support the three battles that were raging around the Library. The three-boom machines were built around an eye similar to that of Penitent Tangent but theirs was obviously designed to serve as an offensive weapon first and foremost, specifically designed to combat the Flood. "Demon, prepare yourself, you will only have one chance at this."

"Alright, just bring your rifles, we need to go as light as possible." Hall, Janus, Muron, and Tauer all nodded and began to strip off the packs and ammo that were attached to their armor. Dumping it on the ground they went ahead and nudged themselves up towards the lip of the stream bed as a small group of Sentinels took up position over them.

"Go when you are ready. We will follow when you begin." Penitent Tangent's voice didn't seem to hold any grudges about their earlier argument but it was hard to tell with an AI.

"Great. We're going to haul ass across that open field towards the platform so we're going to need you keep them off of us as we make our there." Thankful that they were on the same team again, he made sure his voice gave away a hint of gratefulness even though he didn't say anything. Looking at Echo Squad, he made sure they were ready a final time. Calming his nerves, he nodded and pushed himself off out of the snow and over the edge. Nestling his rifle just above his waist, Didact began to run across the open with his finger hammering the trigger down while he sprayed into the mass of Flood that were in front of them. Hall and Janus fell in on either side of Didact and were firing as well while Muron and Tauer were behind them, gripping their weapons with one hand. Across the gap, they saw the gondola speeding through the tunnel towards the platform on their side. Orange beams had begun to cut through the Flood that were coming at them and within seconds there was a clear corridor for them to run through. Time felt like it slowed down as he broke into the column within the remaining Flood that were clambering to get at them. Despite the scrubbers and deodorants within his suit, the smell that filtering through was so strong that he was unable to keep the energy bars that he had eaten earlier down and he vomited into the helmet, the bile quickly sucked away and expelled. Whipping his rifle back and forth, the rounds struck the Combat forms in front of him which stunned them for a second before a Sentinel beam cut through their flesh. "Penitent Tangent! You've got to keep an area cleared near the platform so that we can get onto the gondola!" Didact yelled, the sour taste still sitting on his tongue and in his teeth.

"The gondola will not be at the platform. You will have to jump the distance. Did you not know that?"

"Must've left that part out," Didact said under his breath. In front of him a Combat form dodged a Sentinel beam and began to make his way through the open space in front of them. Letting go of the rifle with his right hand, he slid his left hand down the barrel and began to spin it outwards before he slapped his right hand back onto it and smashed the stock into the Flood's upper torso, separating it from the rest of it's body. All of the sudden, a blast of hot air and the concussive wave from an explosion washed over his body at almost the same time which sent mind-numbing waves of pain through his spine. The cushion of air that slammed into him picked him up and pushed him to the side like he was weightless, his feet frantically digging into the ground as he continued to be pushed away. Finally falling to the ground after his feet got tangled up, he struggled to shake off the shock that had settled on him. The sounds of battle that a few moments ago were raging in his ears were now muffled and echoed as he stretched his arms out in an effort to right himself. Trying to focus his vision, his eyes lazily followed the chunks of dirt and flesh that were falling back to the ground around him while a light haze of snow and steam filtered across the bloodied earth. Getting back up he looked over and saw a large crater in the ground that was still smoldering while the air whipped around turbulently.

"Is everyone alright?" Didact asked, laboring to make his voice heard. Coughing, he could see a small film of blood spray against his visor and his mouth fill with the familiar cotton taste. A few soft alarms chimed in his air as his suit's diagnostics began to find injuries in his body and damage that his suit had sustained, competing with a different tone that alerted him to the status of the squad.

"_Overpressure damage resulting in massive internal organ trauma. Multiple sources of internal bleeding have been located. Combat armor has sustained serious heat damage, shield system is beyond repair. Left arm and leg have multiple seal breaches._" Didact didn't need the computer to tell him about these things as he felt every injury. Trying to take a deep breath, he was rewarded with a searing pain in his lungs and a small trickle of blood that slipped through his lips and down his chin. Clicking over to the squad vitals, he was pained to see two flashing red lines next to Tauer and Muron's names. His first instinct was to make his way over to their limp bodies but as he sat up he could see a large amount of blood in the snow around Tauer indicating arterial lacerations and the odd angles of Muron suggested multiple spinal fractures. Even if there was a chance that they could be resuscitated there would be no way to stabilize them long enough for them to get the medical attention that would be required for them to even have a chance at surviving. Wheezing from the blood in his lungs, Didact forced himself through the mind-numbing pain that washed up and down his body from the combination of intense heat blistering his left side as well as his body being compressed by the shockwave. As he stumbled over towards Hall and Janus who were stirring slowly, he realized that the alarms in his helmet weren't quiet but that he had lost a significant amount of his hearing although it was beginning to come back. Trying to focus on the muffled voices that were speaking inside of his helmet, he recognized 2401 calling out to him as they tried to move about in their daze like state.

"You must keep moving! The Sentinels will not be able to protect you forever!" Noting the clear sense of urgency in his voice, Didact helped Janus lift Hall up as he tried to get his mind focused.

"Where's Muron and Tauer," he asked groggily. Feeling pangs of sadness spread up his spine across his lower lip, Didact hesitated for a second before responding.

"They were killed instantly in the blast. Set their generators off and burn these fuckers to the ground." Clenching his teeth as he finished speaking, he remembered all of the times that he watched his friends and allies disappear in a blinding flash of light and it never got easy, especially when they died under his command. Nodding grimly, Hall quickly set their timers and got up onto his feet with Janus still helping him a little bit. The Sentinels that had previously been creating a defensive wall around the soldiers were now moving with them again as they tried to move as fast as they could towards the platform that was now visible. Limping down a slight slope, they emerged onto a large metal platform that extended out over the chasm below. Sitting about twenty feet away, the gondola began to move again so that it could dock for the soldiers. Consisting of two layers mostly glass floors, the gondola looked large enough for at least one hundred fully armed soldiers to fit on comfortably. Pressing up against the platform, the three Forerunners got on as quickly as they could while the Sentinels fought off the Flood that were still pursuing them. Didact took a few steps towards the center of the upper level before pushing his back up against the wall and slid down to the floor, his legs sprawled out in front of him limply while his head started to spin. Sitting silently, Janus, who seemed to have suffered the least injuries of the group, knelt down next to him and pulled out a small med-kit off of his back belt which he placed next to him before opening it up. Rising up in three rays, the top split in the center and dropped down on either side of the second row. Contained in each of the small compartments were different medicines, pain killers, and vital fluids while the bottom area held foam to fill wounds and the bandaging to seal it up.

"Where's it hurting?"

"I'm fine, I've had worse," Didact responded quickly trying to sound as if it wasn't as bad as it really was.

"Sir, there's no need to try and act tough around me," he responded with a dry laugh almost to himself. "There's still a war going on and it's obvious to see you're not in the best of conditions to put it lightly." Nodding a little bit, Didact relented.

"Left side is hurting pretty bad, it's got to be a nasty burn if my armor is anything to judge it by." The active camouflaging on all of their armor had malfunctioned which wasn't entirely new as it's the weakest part of the armor and the first to go whenever it's damaged. But on his left arm, chest, and leg as well as some of his rear, the armor had adopted a bright sheen ringed by a thick black scorch zone where the heat wasn't enough to polish the armor to an almost mirror level of reflection.

"Alright, this should help keep it from getting infected and lessen the pain everywhere else." Pulling out a small syringe, Janus pulled a small amount of liquid from two canisters and then flipped open a small flap on Didact's right arm where he injected the medicine in. "Anything else?"

"Yeah, I think I've got a pulmonary edema but it doesn't seem too bad at the moment." Janus grunted disapprovingly but didn't say anything beyond that.

"One more cocktail then, this should help slow the flow of blood till I can get this treated."

"Thanks." A heavy shadow rolled over the gondola as they entered the tunnel, four enormous pieces of metal coming together behind them as they were sealed off from the rest of the world. Janus popped up and headed over towards Hall who was leaning up against a support beam while he watched them head towards the inside of the Library. The tunnel was almost impossible to comprehend as Didact looked up and down from the ceiling to the roof, a soft haze obscuring many of the details. On either side of them, small platforms emerged from the walls, all of the doors locked with a red glow surrounding them. Looking ahead, he saw that the tunnel didn't end at the wall that he was looking at but in fact headed upwards although he had no idea how high it went. A few seconds he was given his answer as the gondola aligned itself beneath a much smaller tube and began to push itself upwards into the narrow space. Glancing upwards, he could see another cavernous section above him that was glowing brightly. 2401 was oddly silent as he slowly moved back and forth around the gondola, seemingly lost in a lack of duties. As they emerged, the gondola stopped just after clearing the floor and began to make its way to what appeared to be a docking hub where three more of the transporters were sitting static. Didact began to push himself back up off of the ground and removed his sidearm again, unsure of what they were going to find. Silently they stopped moving and docked against the platform before a single deep metallic sound reverberated throughout the cavern before dying off.

"Come Demon, if your men are still alive they are just this way." Without the pain of the burns and other injuries, it was much easier for Didact to walk but he could still feel a slight sting in the back of his mind and a strong sense of pressure on his left side that still forced him to limp as he walked off of the platform and through an empty doorway. Emerging into a vaulted hallway, the three soldiers looked around as they tried to get their bearings and understand where it was they were at. What Didact originally assumed were walls turned out to be very wide columns that blocked most of their view of a large room on the other side. "Please go quickly; we cannot waste any more time than is necessary." Putting his other hand on the handgun and bringing it in front of him at waist level, he peered through the dim light on the metal walls around them as they moved ahead cautiously, his eyes jumping back and forth as he kept his head on a swivel.

"Admiral Edos, this is Demon Didact. Please report." Sending out a local pulse over every channel, Didact hoped that the Admiral would respond and they would be able to get them out. A few seconds passed and he got no response so he sent out another call. Didact realized that the hallway they were in had a curve in it and as they reached the apex he was able to see a large wall blocking their progress at the end of it, a few steps later spotting the entrance to the room on the other side. Quickening their pace a little bit, the three got to the entrance and stopped at the edge of the wall where Didact pushed up against the wall and peered into the room on the other side. He was quickly struck with a sense of vertigo as he tried to comprehend the size of the room. Looking across the floor in front of him, it quickly dropped off into a large cylinder that was lined with enormous spotlights that were softly illuminating the ceiling that was at least two hundred feet above them, if not higher. Floating in the air above the hole was a small blue object housed within a shifting case. "Ahh, the Index. I'm glad to see it is still safe. If the outbreak gets any worse I will have to ask that you follow protocols and activate this ring and eliminate the Flood threat."

"Penitent Tangent, the Flood isn't just limited to this Halo, it's broken out across the galaxy."

"What!?" Startled by his response, Didact could see the same red hue in his color, stronger than last.

"Why have the rings not been activated? We do not have time to waste; you _must _retrieve the Index and begin the firing sequence for the Array! There is no time to waste." Zooming ahead, it took a few seconds for him to notice that the soldiers hadn't followed him. "What are you doing?"

"We're not going to use these weapons, there's still a chance at containing the outbreak. They have no military and we are quickly learning their tactics. It's only a matter of time." Tensions were quickly growing again between the two of them and he knew that he needed to get the survivors as quickly as possible.

"This is preposterous! If you do-."

"I am not arguing with you Monitor. I hold the rank of Demon and am above you in the chain of command. If you do not follow my order I will be forced to recommend you for deactivation on the basis of rampancy, is that understood?" An awkward silence followed as the four of them remained motionless, the only noise being the dull thumps of the battle outside and the shimmering and humming of 2401's anti-gravity generator.

"Yes, Demon." Satisfied, he began to scan the level they were on to see if he could spot anyone or anything. Looking into one of the darker sections, he saw an assortment of shadows near one of the raised walls throughout and he began to make his way over there. Clicking on his flashlights, he got within twenty feet when he was able to make out what he was seeing. Arranged in a neat line were the bodies of ship hands and soldiers, most of them covered in blood and dirt. Quickly scanning the faces of the twenty or so that were lying there; he didn't see Edos' face which let his heart slow down after quickly speeding up. Looking to his right where he had spotted more shapes, he was met with more bodies but instead of being in an orderly fashion they were arranged in more natural positions and a little separated. Something caught his eye and he watched for a few seconds before he saw the soldier's torso move up slightly before falling.

"They need medical attention! If you've got any food or water in your packs get it out!" Hobbling into the group of ten people, he began to nudge them one at a time as they slowly stirred. "We're here to get you out of here," he said quietly over his external speakers, his headlamps flashing over people's faces as they woke up groggily while they brought their arms up to block their eyes from the blinding lights. Finally he saw a familiar face and he popped the seal on his helmet as he knelt down next to Edos who was sleeping up against the wall, pistol out. "Hey, hey, it's Didact," he whispered, putting his hand on the young man's shoulder. Watching his head move to follow the voice, Didact couldn't help but smile as the Admiral locked onto him and his eyes opened.

"Sir? I didn't think you guys were going to be able to make it to us."

"I didn't either, it was pretty rough." As he spoke Didact could feel a slight discomfort in his chest and as he took a short breath the wheeze was almost too strong to hold back a cough.

"I've got to thank you; I'm not sure how long we would've lasted. Getting here took a lot out of us and we didn't have any supplies." Didact suddenly regretted leaving their packs behind but the extra weight might've made the difference between life and death back on the plains. "You don't look so good yourself. What happened?"

"I'm not sure, maybe a case of friendly fire. We lost two people in the explosion." A look of sadness came across Edos' face and Didact knew that he would blame himself for their deaths regardless of what he said so he kept his mouth shut. "Let's get you guys out of here," he said, extending his wounded left arm to help him up. Edos looked at the damaged armor but didn't say anything more and he hooked his arm around Didact's neck. Lifting him up, Edos let go of Didact and moved over to the others to help them up while the Demon did the same. Almost all of them were able to move on their own power, only one crew member needed help for a broken ankle that looked so bad that Didact was amazed he was still conscious. As he turned around to head back into the tunnel, Didact felt a sudden stinging in his chest and he was unable to catch a breath, taking fast and shallow breaths as he became dizzy and tried to keep himself standing. Finally giving in, he collapsed forward onto one knee before falling to the ground while blood began to drain from his mouth. His eyes felt heavy as hands grabbed onto him and tried to prop him back up and his head rolled back and forth groggily.

"It's his lungs, they've filled up with blood!" he heard Janus calling out. "If he doesn't get medical attention immediately, he'll fall into a coma and die." The last thing he heard was Penitent Tangent humming as he floated over his limp body.


	19. Conservation Measures

Chapter 18: Conservation Measures

"Out of the way! Out of the fucking way!" Opening his eyes weakly, bright white light flooded Didact's irises as he watched metal bulkheads fly past him overhead through foggy vision. Looking around, he saw people gripping tightly onto the stretcher that he found himself on with his armor missing, only his undersuit still on. One of the doctors to his right saw that he was awake and leaned down to speak to him, his voice different from the one that startled him.

"Demon, you're on board the Forseti in the medical bay. While you were on the surface you went into hypoxia and a light coma. We've administered a blood thinner and we're draining your lungs at the moment." Looking down, two tubes that were filled with blood droplets protruded from his chest. Taking a breath to see how well it had worked he saw that he was able to fill almost his entire chest with air with only a slight hint of wheezing.

"What's going on down there?" he asked the doctor. Despite his best efforts, his vision remained blurry and all he knew about the doctor was that he was a male. Receiving no response, he repeated his question. "What's going on around the Library? Where are the others?"

"I'm sorry sir but I don't have that kind of tactical information. All I know is that the forces are withdrawing to the ships." Satisfied, Didact let himself calm down slightly after feeling his heart race speed up and his skin get clammy without the aid of his armor's environmental controls. "We're going to be taking you into surgery, alright? The burns you sustained are very serious and are likely to become infected and your lungs are still draining blood. I'll see you on the other side." Before he was able to protest in any way, a needle pierced his skin and a strong sedative flooded his body before he became unconscious again.

* * *

"Uncle…" Tyro's voice sounded pained as she stepped into Chairman Hoyt's apartment that occupied the top of level of one of the tallest buildings on the planet which afforded him blue skies every day as the clouds rolled by beneath them. At the moment the sun had gone down but the horizon was still illuminating the sky in a deep red and purple, the horizon outlined by tall buildings. Wearing a pair of black slacks and a white button down blouse, Tyro had obviously just come from work but had broken down somewhere along the line causing her make-up to run down her face and her nose to become flushed with blood.

"I know, I heard the news before you did. The best doctors are taking care of him and he's being brought back here as fast as possible." Not comforted, her mouth curled downwards and a soft whisper punctuated the silence as she walked towards the elderly man and wrapped her arms around his neck. Despite being the same height she appeared small and frail as he softly returned the hug and rubbed his cheek up against the side of her head. Holding her as she began to cry again, Hoyt whispered softly into her ear as he tried to explain that he'd be alright.

"How did it happen? They never explained it," she finally asked after calming down.

"It was a case of friendly fire. One of the IFF receivers on a Bayfor was malfunctioning from the hot drop and Didact and Lieutenant Hall's squad didn't show up so the gunner assumed it was clear to fire. Fratricide is a fact of war, like it or not." Nodding, Tyro wiped the tears off of her face as she stepped away from Hoyt and paced around a little bit.

"Sit down. Would you like something to drink?" he asked, motioning towards a grouping of plain black leather couches in a living room, the view overlooking the entire city. Despite it's modern feel and look the apartment was relatively old as Tyro remember visiting it when she was a small child and even then her Uncle and late Aunt had occupied it for some time. Sitting down, she wiped a few more tears away from her face and listened as Hoyt spoke to her from his kitchen behind her. "I just got some lovely wine from Verita. Would you like a glass?"

"Yes please," Tyro responded, her voice still a little shaky from her emotions. "The Arrays were supposed to remain uncontaminated. We don't have anything in place to deal with an outbreak, let alone on this scale."

"Won't the security systems take care of them eventually? As long as the quarantine barrier is up, that is."

"Theoretically…yes, but we've noticed the Flood is able to, with a lot of effort, assimilate itself with inorganic material as well. It's possible it might happen there as well. I suppose we may be able to fire the ring in an extremely local burst to eliminate the Flood…" trailing off, she heard Hoyt pour the liquid into the glass and put the cork back into the bottle. Tyro slowly became lost in some of her thoughts as she considered all of the outcomes of the war, contorting her lips before instinctively massaging her forehead as if it was aching. Opening her eyes, Hoyt was holding a glass of the wine in his hands, the burgundy liquid sloshing softly inside the glass. He didn't say anything as she took it and then walked away from her towards the floor to ceiling windows and stared outside, still dressed in his outfit from work. Taking a sip softly, Tyro could see that he had something to say but was unable to say it.

"We've lost almost half of our planets, Tyro. One way or another this war isn't going to last much longer."

"The shield worlds aren't complete yet. Only Onyx has been finished and it can't support enough people to maintain genetic diversity if we need to repopulate, we'll need multiple shield worlds for that." Hoyt didn't respond to this but she could see that his face looked sadder when she spoke. "We can't keep pretending this problem is going to go away. We've got to start taking a long hard look at the preservation of our species and any others we can find. Bring the Ark here and we can buy ourselves some time, we can use Mendicant Bias to command our fleets and attack the Flood wherever they're at. Based on our research they're based off of a hive mind mentality, if we can find wherever the controller is they'll revert to a feral state and we can defeat them."

"Bring the Ark here?"

"Yes. Activate the shield and we can give ourselves enough time to build more shield worlds and categorize sentient life before we attempt to destroy the Flood. At least that way we'll have something to fall back on if we can't defeat them." A new vigor had crept into Tyro's voice and she stood up in the darkness that had settled over the room, the only light coming from the kitchen where it highlighted the back of her head. "Conservation measures must be taken regardless of what it is that we do."

"If you believe that is the best course of action, I would like you to present that to Fleet Command. We don't have time to waste."

* * *

Tyro straightened the black skirt that accentuated her nearly perfect body, stopping just below her knees. The hallway she waited in was enormous with floor to ceiling windows that rose almost fifty feet into the air as the walls curved inwards towards the inner cylinder where the war room was located, the sun bathing everything in a bright gold glow. Standing silent and by herself she paced slowly while her heels clicked on the floor before it echoed around for a few seconds, her heart racing as her stomach twisted itself into knots. Her eyes wandered around before resting on the designs etched into the glass which she slowly traced to keep her mind focused and calm. Adding to her anxiety was the silence on Didact's condition, the last information she had received was a short message stating he would be going into surgery a few days prior but aside from that she was still in the dark. On one hand it was a good sign as his death would've been all over the news by now but not knowing anything was still torturing her.

"Ma'am? They'll see you now." Sneaking up on her was a small female assistant who seemed too timid for the job she was in. Turning around when Tyro looked at her, the assistant quickly disappeared around the curve of the hall. Going in the same direction, Tyro stopped well short of the door she exited when she arrived at a relatively large set of stairs that sank into the floor where it led to a single metal door. Taking a few seconds before she stepped within range of the motion sensor she collected her thoughts and made sure she remember everything that she wanted and needed to say. Satisfied that she was ready, she took a few steps forward and walked through the now open doorway. Descending a few more feet into a dark hallway Tyro continued walking forward before the floor began to rise up again until she emerged into a relatively small chamber where she was standing on a platform that extended into the center. Sitting just slightly above her was a single row of seats that wrapped around to her sides, each seat occupied by an admiral within the Forerunner Navy. Bathed in a soft blue light from their consoles, the fifteen officers all stood up at once in respect of her royalty. Putting her hand up and smiling weakly she had them sit back down before stepping up to the platform proper.

"Good afternoon ladies and gentlemen," she said, surprised at the lack of force behind her words. Coughing quietly to get over the sudden bout of stage fright she began to speak again. "I'm sure all of you have been briefed on the nature of my visit so I'll just cut to the chase." Looking down for a moment she began to navigate her way through a small group of files. "Of no fault of your own, the war with the Flood has not been going well. We've got to start looking forward to our options for preserving as many species as we can in the event the Array must be fired. The original plan involves using a series of shield worlds where we can house most if not all of our population within a self-contained Slipspace field. Essentially they'd be in another dimension while the Array is fired and then we return once the threat is gone. Unfortunately, Project Onyx is the only completed facility as of this time although Project Reach is nearing a sufficient level of readiness and may serve as a second shield world. Irregardless, our current conservation measures are woefully inadequate and while they preserve a small portion of the species we run the risk of either overburdening Onyx or having too little genetic separation to guarantee a healthy repopulation once the Arrays have been fired." She paused and looked up at the officers. "I suppose you could say it's a pick your own poison situation." The room was silent when she finished speaking, only the soft sound of clothing rustling as the admirals shifted uncomfortably. "Now…here's where the Navy comes in. The Ark has an energy emitter that can create a field that is able to block the coordinating ability of the Hive Mind, rendering any Flood that come through it completely free which makes them return to their feral state. If we bring the Ark to Shi Kai or another local system we can create a defensive sphere that should give us enough time to preserve a large portion of life within the galaxy. All you have to do is create a blockade that would maintain a position along the border of the field, codename the Maginot Line after the late Professor Maginot who was the one who discovered the link."

"You seem to have already resigned our military to defeat. Protocols have already been enacted that should slow if not reverse the Flood's advancement," the man in front of her said, leaning forward a little so that the front of his face was barely illuminated.

"May I ask as to what those protocols are?" Tyro shot back but remaining unaggressive, she still had to win these people over. A map of the galaxy appeared in the center of the room and began to rotate slowly on it's side so that they were able to see the region that was to be discussed. Extending out from the center of the galactic bulge towards a region about a third of the way out was a green filter which stopped abruptly and was replaced with a red one. Sitting on the meeting point and then extending out from there a little bit was a purple ring.

"The purple line is a burn zone; all planets outside in it are being evacuated back within this green zone before being glassed. We'll engage them in the red zone and quickly cut through them without any hope of the Flood replenishing their numbers our manageable losses." Tyro shook her head in disagreement at hearing this but she had her counter prepared.

"All it takes is for one ship to break through the burn line and the entire plan is useless. That's why I propose a second part to my earlier plan, an offensive contingent. I'd like you to meet Mendicant Bias." Running her fingers across a few of the symbols she connected Mendicant to the speaker system.

"_Hello, my name is Mendicant Bias_," his deep voice said, booming throughout the chamber but lacking an echo. "_I am a Contender-Class AI created by the Librarian Tyro_."

"Mendicant Bias is the most advanced and deadly AI that has ever been created. Running a simulation, he was able to effectively coordinate over _five thousand_ separate ships without any performance or judgment conflicts. He is bred for war and his enemy is the Flood. Give him control of a fleet and we can end this war."

"_I can operate all of the ships under my control with little to no crew on board which minimizes any losses to strictly material in nature. In the event a ship under my control is captured by the Flood it is simply a matter of activating it's self-destruction mechanism_." The silence following their tag team was seen as a positive by Tyro who knew that, at the very least, they were considering the plan that she had put together.

"We'll take your plan under consideration. Thank-you, Librarian."

* * *

Feeling a soft breeze on his skin, Didact tried in vain to open his eyes but his lids hung heavy and he couldn't make them budge. Smelling a sweet scent in the air he let his nose lead his head around as it tried to track down the source. Giving up on trying figuring out what or where the smell was, he went back to trying to open his eyes and found that they were now willing to give way and open ever so slightly. Through his eyelashes and the blurriness that obscured his vision he was able to make out a field of bright green that touched a dark blue sky, white splotches slowly moving across which assumed were clouds. He heard something move behind him and he tried to move his head on the pillow that it was resting on but his muscles refused to budge and so he remained still, wondering what was going on behind him.

"Glad to see you're awake," a cheery voice said. "I'll give you a little something to get over the medication." A few seconds later he felt a wash of warmth through his left arm that quickly spread through the rest of his body while his heart began to beat faster and faster. Feeling as if he was suddenly full of energy Didact began to move each part of his body as it loosened up and became responsive. A few blinks later and his vision was almost completely bad which allowed him to take survey of his surroundings. Lying down in a hospital bed, he was parked out on a large patio that was looking over a beautifully lush valley that was covered in tall grass, bushes, and small trees before leading down towards a large lake that was shimmering in the sunlight. What he had originally assumed was a large cloud before now presented itself as a thick set of rings that went from what he presumed was the southern portion of the sky. On either side of him was a large white sheet that was attached to a small pillar on the curving balcony in front of him before rising up into the air behind him where the sheet was attached to an enormous tower. The half-moon patio sat right on the edge of a steep drop down to the valley floor where a flock of white birds rose up out of the shadows and into the cerulean sky. Feeling a familiar touch on his right shoulder he turned to see Tyro smiling as she sat down on the edge of the bed, facing him.

"I was worried about you; they pretty much kept me in the dark. They underestimate the drive and tenacity of a wife though," she said, laughing which flashed her bright white teeth while her small dimples formed at the corners of her mouth. Adjusting her now straight blond hair she adjusted the pink button down shirt she was wearing, a perfect match to her white Capri pants.

"I was alright. They always make it sound worse than it really is. What have you been up to?" he asked.

"Not a whole lot," she replied quickly, leaving out the meeting she had had a few days prior. "It's enough of a challenge trying to hunt you down, didn't need anything else on my plate." Smiling, he pulled on his light blue sheets so that he had some slack and raised his bed up so that he was in a sitting position. Looking down at his left arm he could see noticeable scarring all around it which he assumed was across the rest of the area that was burned from the blast, his smile slowly fading. Tyro noticed his change in mood and extended her hands and placed them within his before looking into his eyes, a playful smirk resting on her lips.

"Don't worry, I didn't marry you for your good looks," she said, laughing as he brightened up a little bit. Finally letting out a chuckle she leaned in and kissed him softly on the lips as he closed his eyes, remembering how wonderful she was. Wrapping his arms around her he pulled her in tighter and felt her body push up against his. Finishing, they rolled their foreheads against each other as their noses touched, both of them breathing a little faster before opening their eyes.

"It's been such a long time. Staying in Shi Kai made me forget how hard it is to be out on tour," he said, staring into her eyes. Tyro nodded in agreement and gave him a second, much quicker kiss before standing up. "Is there something wrong?" Tyro scrunched her eyebrows in a look that seemed to indicate she didn't know what he was talking about. "Is there something wrong or do you have to tell me something?" he repeated. Despite her best efforts she quickly gave away her intentions with a pause that lasted just a little too long and a quick glance away from him. Knowing that he'd find out anyways she went decided to tell him everything.

"I spoke with Fleet Command; we're beginning to enact conservation measures to ensure the survival of as many species as possible. We're also going to us Mendicant Bias to command a fleet whose mission is to hunt down and destroy the controlling element of the Flood."

"What _kind _of measures are we talking about?" Didact asked, sitting up even more in his bed.

"We're going to seal off the inner colonies with the Ark until the Flood leadership has been neutralized." Didact grunted in understanding but didn't say anything, a sour look coming across his face but he didn't say anything. "You don't approve?"

"No, I don't," he shot back angrily. "I don't see why we have to abandon billions of people just yet."

"Didact, if you hadn't notice, this war isn't going all that well!" Realizing her outburst, the two of them looked around and could see the other patients at the recovery facility glancing away after being drawn to them by the commotion. "We have to make some hard decisions," she said, her voice low. "This is our best shot at winning or buying us enough time for the other shield worlds to be finished before firing the Array."

"I understand that but it doesn't mean I can't disapprove with the plan."Tyro took a deep breath before letting her shoulders sag and drooping her head a little. Trying to think of something comforting to say, Didact was unable to come up with something and instead looked off into the valley that suddenly looked less inviting than before.


End file.
